Back In The Fast Lane
by Kails
Summary: Set a year after The Fast and The Furious. Dom and the team are in Mexico, Brian is still in L.A. Dom loses races and cars to a rival gang. What happen's? COMPLETE!
1. The Past Awakened

Chapter 1  
  
The hood cranked open, revealing a badly fucked engine. Beneath the hood used to lie a 1997 cc, 4-cylinder, 16-valve turbo engine with a HotShot exhaust system, a bored-out throttle body, and an Injen air filter. Now all it resembled was a burnt down piece of shit. "A ten second car, yeah right" Brian exclaimed. "I'm gonna be here for years fixin' this".  
  
In an attempt to get his mind off the team, he'd turned again to Tanner, who'd pulled some strings and managed to return Brian's car, pretty much the same way it was before he'd given it to the Police, who'd then given it to specialists to modify. They'd managed to turn it from a factory standard Mitsubishi Eclipse, into a suped-up rice rocket which would do a quarter mile in 9.3 seconds. "Where the fuck do I start?" he said to himself aimlessly. With that he picked up a wrench and started to pull out the engine.  
  
Brian awoke in a hot, sticky sweat. That night's dream was just as bad as the others. The vision of Vince hanging helplessly from the truck, like a bug on the windscreen, had made him relive the whole nightmare. Worse still was the look of betrayal, hatred, and confusion on Mia and Dom's faces as the realization of who he really was hit home. It was permanently fixed on his mind, and plastered to the inside of his eyelids, so that even when he closed his eyes, he couldn't escape them. Brian's mind was brought back to the biggest question facing him. Should he go after Toretto, Mia and the rest of the team? He looked at his clock, 5:47 am. With an exhausted sigh, he pulled himself from the sweat soaked sheets and into the bathroom. The water from the shower ran warm and looking into the mirror he saw his reflection. "Get a grip asshole!"  
  
He played over the possibilities in his head. "What if I go after them, get pounded to shit by Dom, shouted at and dismissed by Mia, and thrown out by the rest of the team?" Although the prospect of being hammered by Dom sounded bad, he still had hopes of convincing Mia that everything he ever said about her was real, and despite everything that had happened, still respected and wanted Dom's friendship and trust. "Shit" he swore. Back to square one again. He had been here so many times. This question was too much too think about, he needed to get his mind back onto fixing his car and racing again, he badly needed the money. After buying the many hundred parts it would take to get it running like before, he wouldn't be left with money much at all.  
  
"Good news Brian", Tanner sounded happily, "The hijacking case is closed as of this morning. FBI charged Johnny Tran 'coz they found his prints all over the remaining Civic, and seeing as he's dead, case closed. You're off the hook!!" Brian was speechless. Finally, it was over. The stress, fear, and worry of the past few months was over. "You gonna say something then?" He was brought back by Tanner's question. "Sorry. Yeah, damn!!!!!! It's just come as such a shock, you know. It's over." "Yeah, Brian it is" Tanner responded, also sounding relieved. His ass had been on the line too. "Listen, I know you didn't have to help me out back there, but thanks. You kept me and Dom outta prison. Thanks, man", truthfully he didn't know what to say to Tanner, as he hadn't believed in his heart that their plan would work. But it had. "I didn't do it for Toretto, I just didn't want to see ya go to inside when all you did was commit a few felonies and break a few laws. Ya know" Tanner said sarcastically. Brain laughed at his remark. He was so thankful for Tanner's help after he was arrested, and didn't know how to thank him. He practically saved his life. His and Dom's. "Yeah thanks, but I gotta go, my car needs some work, actually, it needs a shit load of work", Brian thought aloud. "How's that goin'?" "I should be done in two or three years!" he said sarcastically. "I'm goin' to Harry's tomorrow to get parts!" "Yeah, just wanted to tell ya, panic over. See ya later Brian" "OK, bye Tanner, thanks again". Brian ended the call on his cell phone.  
  
He got back to his apartment that night and his thoughts were again brought back to Toretto. "Should I go tell Dom it's clear for him to come back to L.A. Shit will he want to come back now? FUCK IT!!!!" he shouted. "I don't know where the fuck he is anyway". 


	2. Meanwhile

Chapter 2  
  
"Dom, don't do it" Letty pleaded, although she knew that it was a waste of time. Once Dom had decided to do something, he wouldn't change his mind. "You can't beat this guy!!" There it was. The words Dom had been dreading for the past few months. As he had thought, his team had lost their confidence and belief in him. "What ya sayin' Letty? I'm a loser?" he thundered in his deep voice. "No Dom, you know I don't think that. It's just with Jesse and everything, you aint on top form" she yelled back in defence. "You need a break. We all do Dom" she said speaking softer. Letty was trying to calm him down, knowing what would happen if he lost the race driving as angry as this. "She's right dawg" Leon quickly backed her up. "Yeah, lets spend a few weeks away from 'The Strip', fix up the cars, then come back fresh and ready to win," Vince added "They ain't been tuned or nothing since we left L.A". Mia said nothing, thinking it better to stay out of the argument this time. She hadn't been the same person since that thing with Brian. It had shook her up bad, and she retreated into herself. "Stay the fuck out of this, it's between me and him", Dom hollered, looking at the Asian guy standing by his Mitsubishi Evo. "That's where you're wrong Dom. Last time you raced Tyler you lost the RX- 7, this time you could lose the Supra. That means we lose shit loads of money, 'coz of you're fucking ego. You're lettin' us down, and lettin' yourself slide." She was yelling again. "Let it go". Dom considered what she said; knowing that everything she had said was true. A sullen and calm look crossed his face as he eyed his team, and for a moment, Letty had thought she had gotten through to him. But when he glanced back at Tyler, who was talking to his second in command, everything left his mind. "One last race then it's over. OK babe". He had calmed down significantly knowing what was ahead of him, and was trying to re-assure her that he wouldn't lose again. "Yeah, whatever" was all that Letty said. The disappointment and fear evident in her voice. Dom turned away from his team and strode over to the Asian guy.  
  
"You back again Toretto. Damn. Do you like losin' or something?" Tyler said. He was obviously pleased at having a second chance to bring down 'the King of L.A.'s streets'. "Fuck off man. I ain't having you're shit. That was some sneaky stuff you pulled last time". Dom was up in Tyler's face, their noses only a few inches apart. Vince and Leon grabbed Dom's massive arms. It took their two hands to hold one of his arms. They knew that if they didn't hold him back, he would put Tyler six-feet-under. "Whatever man, Let's get this over with. Got more important things to deal with than your punk ass. Never know. Might try for a piece of your sister!!" He knew that would piss Dom off. "You bastard" Dom raged. He swung his massive arms, throwin Vince and Leon to the ground. Before Tyler knew it, he was on the ground being hammered by Dom. The hundreds of racers who had come to race, stopped everything and ran to watch the fight. They had heard of Dom's power and wanted to see the damage he could do. Dom pulled back and threw a hard and fast punch at Tyler. He wasn't swayed by the blood splattered on his white tank top, or by the blood running between his fingers. His thoughts were bent on punishing this guy. He heard shouts from his team telling him to stop, but ignored them completely. The next thing he knew, Niko and Carlos, Tyler's guys, were punching at Dom's head and his sides. He slid off Tyler and pulled himself up, ready to lunge again, but was stopped by Letty and Mia standing in front of him, and Vince and Leon, holding his shoulders and waist. He struggled against the grip the two guys had on him. If he really wanted to he could easily overpower them, but the look on Mia and Letty's face said enough. "Get the fuck outta here Toretto" Carlos roared, as Elis, Cat, Tasha and Flaco, brought Tyler to his feet. Niko had gone to get his car. His Honda Civic Coupe pulled up and the gang helped Tyler in. "Stay away from my sister and my team" Dom warned as blood oozed from his mouth. "This aint over" he shouted to Tyler before the cars belonging to Tyler's gang pulled out of the strip. He spat the blood out and liked his wound, a gash just above his top lip. He also had a deep cut above his eye. With that he turned, braced himself against Letty placing his arm around her shoulders, as the team headed for their cars. The crowd separated into two separate rows, making way for the Toretto team.  
  
"You know, one good thing came out of tonight," Letty said in a matter-of- fact manner. She poured some antiseptic solution onto cotton wool, and placed it over Dom's grazed eye. "Shit Letty" he gasped as the solution stung into his wound. "Oh, yeah what's that?" he asked wondering what the hell she was talking about. He winced as he looked up at her. "We still got the Supra. At least we still got the chance of making some money". "Yeah, I suppose, but it aint over Let. He's gonna' pay". "I agree wiv ya. But I think we should do it through racing. Get him where it really hurts" Letty added. "Next week. It's gonna be next week. I'm getting ma car back!!" Dom looked up at Letty again to see her reaction. He was sittin on the bed, with Letty standing between his legs. "Damn, you look good Letty" "You missin your trophy?" she said seductively. "You can say that again". He placed his hands on her body, feeling all of her perfect curves. It was almost as if he was re-acquainting himself with her. It had been a long time since they'd slept together. They still slept in the same bed, but every night when the team headed to bed, she crawled in and turned her back to Dom. 'I'm not in the mood Dom' was the excuse she had given. He pulled her into a tight embrace, tenderly toughing her lips with his. She returned the kiss; covering his lips with hers, feeling like the old-times when they had 'fun', and for a moment had forgotten everything that had happened. Suddenly, she pulled back and stood by the door with her back to Dom. He got up and went over to her. "What's up Let? Talk to me." He said softly as he slipped his arms around her waist, hugging her tightly. "I just. I just cant Dom". She turned in his arms, looking up at him with tears welling in her eyes. Her face became taught and angry and she threw his arms away, and walked around the room. "You wanna talk! OK Dom. Let's talk" she exploded. "What's wrong? I don't understand what's happenin with us" he asked half- panicked, half-confused. "Jesse, the trucks, Brian. You want me to go on? She spat, fighting to hold back the tears. She collapsed onto the bed and began to cry. "I know how you feel Let. I was so fuckin stupid. I should've listened to you, Mia, and Leon. I know". He knelt in front of her and placed his hands on her thighs. "Just give it time. We'll be OK. We all will." He wiped the tears away from her face, and lifted her chin. She stopped crying and looked at him. "What about Brian? We just left him to the cops. Will he be OK Dom?" "I don't know. He doesn't know where we are and if finds us then fine, I'll sort it out. But I ain't worryin bout him Letty. I'm more worried about the team."  
  
"But what about Mia. She won't move on from Brian. I think she's still in love with him". "Give her time. She'll come round". Letty began to get angry again. She wanted him to find Brian and bring him back. She kinda liked him around. "I'm so angry an pissed at ya for getting us in this fuckin mess. But I cant walk away from you or the others. They're my family and you're my guy. But I still don't think it can go back to the way it was before. I still love ya though. I just need time. OK Dom." She opened the door and headed downstairs to where the rest of the team were eating Chinese.  
  
He knew how she felt. For the past few months, he hadn't known what to do. The pain of losing Jesse was enough, but the situation with Brian, and his team's animosity was too much to handle. He just felt like racing. That was how he had lost the Mazda. He had been determined to become number 1 down here in Mexico as well as in L.A., but he had to beat Tyler first. Thinking that his Mazda could beat Tyler's Evo, Dom had raced Tyler. Tyler had fooled Dom into thinking he was going to push his NOS button, and Dom instinctively pushed his first. However, when Dom had begun to think he had won, Tyler pushed his button and soared in front of Dom, beating him by half a cars length. Tyler now owned the Mazda, but had also won two broken ribs, and a bruised face. Courtesy of Dominic Toretto. But he would take his car back. Although he knew that the Evo was some very hot shit, he thought that with some fine-tuning and maintenance, the Supra could handle it. 'For Christ's sake, when Brian had driven it for the first time, he had completely blown away a Ferrari.' He said, trying to fill himself with confidence. "Next week asshole. You and me. Next Week" he coldly said aloud to his invisible opponent. 


	3. Tyler and Co

Chapter 3  
  
"Fuck off Niko. I mean it" Tyler warned. "All I'm sayin is that the load can't stay here. It's too risky. If the cops get wind of this, were gone. I mean, for life Ty". Niko sounded worried and frustrated. Tyler grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and nearly lifted him off the ground. His ebony eyes flashed with anger and Niko raised his hands to show he had backed down. "Stay out of it. I'm gonna deal with it today, aight!" Tyler released Niko from his tight grasp. "What about the girls? What about Carlos and Flaco?" Niko asked in a defensive way. "They'll be OK. They can take care of themselves well enough" he turned and walked away from him. He held his stomach as he walked. The three days of rest following the fight healed his wounds, but his muscles still ached. "Damn that Toretto could pack a punch," he thought to himself.  
  
"Cat, Nisa, grab the gear. Were goin to sort out Tommy. NOW!!" he ordered. It was clear that he was the guy in charge, as the girls dropped everything they were doin, and did as they were told. They followed Tyler and Niko out to the cars with backpacks slung over their shoulders. Cat was first to climb into her car. It was a yellow Honda Civic with blue curves along the side and across the hood. She threw the bag onto the passenger seat and started the engine. She looked out over the steering wheel and watched the others. Nisa, who considered Tyler 'her man' got into the passenger seat of his Mitsubishi Evo and pulled the bag onto her knees. It was a silver Evo with a black and purple wolf graphic along the side of it. As he closed the door, she looked at him, fear evident in her eyes. "You sure ya know what yar doing Ty?" she asked uncertainly. "If I'm not, I've got it covered." He lifted his black T-Shirt to show her the 9mm gun, which was lodged between his belt and jeans. Seeing this, she turned pale. He only carried the gun when he thought he would use it, and when they had a pick-up. "That ain't goin to bring nothing but trouble Ty, and you know it" "Yeah, but I'll use it if I have to Nisa". Niko had knelt down to look below the car. "We got out of Boston two years ago, and he still checks before drivin" Nisa pointed out. "Yeah" Tyler replied disappointedly. Satisfied that it was clean, Niko slid into his Honda Civic Coupe, which was white with a black hood. It had grayscale Tanabe graphics on the sides. Carlos had split after the fight and went back to his apartment with some racer chaser. Immediately after Tyler drove away from the sidewalk, the other followed in single file.  
  
They had been driving for about 45 minutes and all Cat had been thinking about was knocking Letty the fuck out. "Who'd she think she was dissin my car. Didn't have the guts to race me, never mind fight me." Truth was, Letty had wanted a piece of her more than anyone she had ever fought before. One look at Cat had been enough to know that she was no match for Letty. She was shorter for one thing. She had very weak looking arms. Letty's first thought had been, "Nothing but a hard act put on for the crowd". But she wanted to fight her nonetheless for what she had said about Dom. But Dom had stopped her. "Next time she's at the Strip, I'll have her," Cat said to herself. Her thoughts were brought back to the job at hand and she slammed on the breaks to avoid slammin into the back of Niko's car. They all got out and stood beside their cars. Cat and Nisa at the back with Tyler and Niko in front of them. They faced a house that looked as if it had been abandoned for years.  
  
"Yo Tommy" he shouted into the house. It was square with two windows which were almost fully boarded, with a small bit left visible at the top. "Come the fuck out here and bring my money wiv ya". A couple of seconds later, the door squealed open, and a tough, mean looking Chinese man walked down the steps and stood a few feet away from Tyler. He was around 5'6 with jet black hair, sideburns which stopped just below his ears, and a gagster- like face. He was about 28 years old. A couple of big brutes accompanied him. A mean looking smile spread across his face and his brow furrowed with it. His hands were slung into a pair of blue jeans and his small but built muscles could just be seen below his black tank top. "What ya after Tyler?" he got straight to the point. "My money. I got your stuff, hand the money over". There was a clear tension between the two guys and they kept their eyes fixed on one another. "Where's it stashed?" the smile faded and he became suddenly serious. "A storage lot. Got a taster for ya." He threw the bag at him, and he caught it square in the chest. He looked inside the bag and then back at Tyler. "When's the pick-up?" he asked keen to finish the conversation. "I aint pickin it up. Bring the gear to Alehandro's café on Saturday at 2am" he replied. Hours seem to pass by as the two guys observed on another. The girls and Niko just looked at one another and then at the ground, not daring to look Tommy in the eye. Finally Tyler broke the silence. "You have the money? And I mean all $200 grand of it!" he half yelled. Tyler was not gonna be ripped off so near the end of the run. "If the goods are there, then so will the money!" Tommy exclaimed. "Good, I'll see ya on Saturday then". Tyler turned and headed towards his Evo, with the gang following in behind him. "You think he's real man?" Niko asked once they were out of earshot. Tyler glanced back and watched as Tommy and his 'friends' headed back into the house. "For his sake, he'd better be. I'm tired of this shit. Two more drops and I'm clear. That's it. Two more. I ain't standing for no more of this bullshit". 


	4. Developments

Chapter 4  
  
"Hey Harry. How's it goin'?" Brian asked as he walked into 'The Racers Edge'. He looked around and noticed that he was the only one in the shop. "Brian.Long time, no see." He leaned over the counter and shook Brian's hand. "Nah I'm good. Heard what went down with you and Toretto. How you dealin'?" He was standing behind the counter with a few catalogues open in front of him. He pushed them to the side. "Not bad. I'm fixin' up ma car", a clearly confused and happy-shocked expression came over his face. Brian knew what the next question was. "What car. The Eclipse?" he half laughed-half shrieked. Brian nodded his head slightly. "Yeah man. I know!" Brian replied as he laughed and looked briefly at the floor. "But if I can get it up and racin again, I can start makin some serious money". Harry nodded his head as Brian explained. "So this ain't a friendly call!" he concluded with a smirk. "Fraid not. Purely business!" Brian agreed. They spoke for a while about some new racers on the scene, but from what the two of them had heard, they weren't up to much. Talk over, they got to business. "So what ya need? I take it, it wont be a few simple parts". "Nope. Got ma list. You ready?" Brian asked as he eyed the computer, he knew the drill. Harry called up the section on Mitsubishi's and looked back at Brian. "Shoot " he said. "OK, I'm gonna need a HotShot Exhaust System, a DIS Type Intake Extreme 20g, an APEC front mount intercooler, an extreme O2 eliminator with trial waste gate, a ported head with IG cams, ARP headstuds, a ported exhaust manifold" Brian continued to rattle off the parts necessary for getting the car running. He had decided to leave accessories, paintwork, and most of the interior till last. Harry expertly took down the parts on his computer. A couple of minutes, and a few thousand dollars later, the two men sighed and looked at each other. "That all for now man? I mean you may as well take the rest of the shop with you, you've nearly cleared out ma warehouse back there". Brian laughed out loud, as Harry nodded towards the back of the shop. "That's it. I'll be back in a few weeks to get the other parts though". "It's all good for me man". He was making money for God's sake. "How do ya want to pay for this lot?" He got down to business. "Put it on ma tab. Once I'm racing, I'll pay the cash." He had it all planned out. "Sure." Although it wasn't cash, he knew Brian was good for it. Toretto had taught him to drive, and with these parts on top of that, he would have one very hot car. With that both guys went round to the warehouse at the back of the shop, leaving the Chinese shop assistant to mind the shop.  
  
Two hours, and seven car trips later, Brian finally had the new parts locked away in his garage. He had decided to start as early as possible in the morning, havin already stripped down the old engine and burnt bodywork as much as could be done.. Edwin and Hector had gotten some of their crew together and pitched in. They'd be there tomorrow at 10am to help put the car together. They'd figured that with all 10 guys working on it, Brian's car could be finished and racing again in 5-6 weeks. He had just fell onto the sofa when his phone rang. Reaching into the back pocket of his jeans, he flipped open the phone and took the call. "Yo snowman, it's Hector dude" he shouted into the phone. Brian heard the engine's reving, the squeal of tires, and the loud music and knew that Hector was at Race Wars. "Hey Hector, what ya doin?" "Nothing much, that's the problem. I just made 4 large racing a rich kid in daddy's car. No match for me, but it's easy money!" "I can help ya out there. Wait a month and I'll give you a run for your money." "Sure man, whatever you say. Just keep talking" both guys sniggered over the phone, knowing fine well that Brian's car would beat nearly any car. "You still want us round about 10 tomorrow?" "Yeah, I want a good days work to get us started. Sittin in this apartment doesn't do it for me the same as racing does!" he said. "Well we'll be there. You needin us to bring anything?"  
  
"Nah, man. I got everything we'll need here." The guys continued speaking about that night's action and what was goin down. Everyone plainly missed Toretto coz now there was nobody to really challenge. Nowadays winners came and went on the same night, but Toretto had been King for years. People got excited about racin Toretto, thinking that they could win him, but nobody had come as close as Brian. After about 15 minutes, they hung up. Brian contemplated staying in, but he got up, grabbed the keys to his old truck and headed down to 'Cha Cha Cha', where he'd taken Mia for their first date. As he turned down the highway, he said aloud and to himself, "Damn I miss you Mia".  
  
"Leon, you got anything more on Tyler or his crew yet?" Dom asked as he walked towards Leon, who was tuning Mia's Acura, with a Corona in his hand. He had asked Leon to do a background check, thinking there was more to these guys than met the eye. Leon put down his cigarette and wiped his hands on an old rag. "Erm, yes." He said looking down into the engine bay. "Come on in and I'll show you". They headed into the room at the back of the garage, and Leon sat down at the computer. Dom leaned over his shoulder, placing his hand on the table. "OK" Leon said slowly as he navigated his way around Tyler's history. "He's done time for drug dealing and possession". He paused whilst searching for more. Dom's eyes rolled over the screen and he stood up straight, crossing his massive arms across his bulking form. "Drug trafficking". He paused again for another couple of seconds. "Plus he's put a couple of guys in hospital", Leon looked nervous at what he was about to say. "That's all I got man. Jesse is the" he trailed off "was the one for this kinda stuff". Dom looked at the floor and took a deep breath, before looking back at Leon. "OK, Leon, that's all I need to know. Now I gotta find out why he's here. He sure ain't here for the racing". He turned and left the office, Leon getting up quickly and running after him. "V, Leon. Let's go". The two guys looked at each other to see if they knew what the hell was going on. The three guys headed for Leon's Skyline. They got in with Vince in the back, Leon driving, and Dom in the passenger seat. The car pulled away and Jesse headed down the street.  
  
About half an hour later, the yellow Skyline pulled up at a small house. It had a red roof, with creamy coloured walls and a couple of panes of glass in the window had been broken. The guys walked up the drive and Dom knocked on the faded wooden door. A Mexican guy opened the door. He was roughly 6'0 tall with short brown hair, which had been spiked up with gel, and his skin was well tanned from the sun, despite having light brown skin. He wore black cargo trousers with a white sweatshirt. A look of familiarisation came over his face. "Dom, how ya living amigo?" A smile spread across his face as he and Dom touched fists. "What brings you down to Tijaero?" "Truthfully. Not so good Chris. I need your help bro!" "Anythin man. I owe you!" Dom had stopped a gang of thugs from taking Chris's car. There had been one of him, and five of them. When they'd seen Dom's muscular form tensing up, and his deep voice threatening therm, they'd cleared out fast. Nothing but a bunch of kids. Chris was keen to return the favour. He was the guy who knew almost everything about everyone who was racin on 'the Strip'. "I got one word for ya: Tyler". "Ah, dude. You looking for something to use against him? Heard you two ave been fighting again!!" "Yeah, I don't like the look of him. Heard of the shit he used to be into. He's been harassing Mia, and hangin round her, and I aint letting him near her. You know". Chris knew how protective he was over his sister and his team. He knew not to mess with him now he was serious. "Come on in Dom. Vince, Leon, you guys too". Vince and Leon nodded at him, and followed Dom and Chris into the house. It was quite roomy inside and Chris had the TV on a music station. He turned it off and sat down. He motioned the others to make themselves comfy. He turned to Dom. "I know a bit about this guy. Got some information from my contact in Boston." Dom noticed that he was very nervous as his voice was shaking. "Cant say he's well liked. He's not my favorite guy either Dominic. I'll tell you what I know, but it didn't come from me. Comprendez?" Dom nodded in agreement. 


	5. Flashback

Chapter 5  
  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -FLASHBACK - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Brian O' Connor, you're under arrest". His hands were pinned roughly behind his back as the Police Officer handcuffed him. "For aiding in truck hijackings and fucking us around", he went from sounding official and proper, to becoming a pissed off brute. Brian offered no resistance and allowed himself to be treated like dog shit. He was still shocked at the way Dom had driven out of his life, taking Mia and the team with him. The cop hauled him off the car he was pinned against, and threw him into the back of a police car. As the door shut, he looked out and locked his eyes on Tanner. It now become clear that he had let 'Team Toretto' down by being a cop, and he had let his long-time friend, Tanner, down by not being cop enough. Tanner looked back at him with obviously sad eyes, and then turned back to the FBI agent. "What do we do now, with Toretto gone? Brian cant possibly take the fall for all of it", he asked trying to find out what Bilkin's had planned for Brian. "No, you're right". The tall coloured man rubbed his forehead and sighed. "All we can do is try to scare a confession outta him, that he had some part of it. That oughta send him down for 5-6 years". "And if he doesn't talk?" "Well we got nothing on him but I'm sure Toretto's fingerprints are all over the Civic's. We just gotta find them." Tanner knew the drill, once they'd found the cars, an APB would go out on Toretto and he and Brian would go down for it.  
  
A couple of days later Brian had been sitting in an interview room when he was told by Agent Bilkin's that the Civic's had been found. One by the roadside, which had exploded - "Letty's" Brain thought, "God I hope she's O.K." - and another of which had also been blown up, but intentionally. To his relief he thought they were all off the hook when something unexpected was said. "However, we found one shot up and my team are lifting the prints off it as we speak. Am I going to find Toretto's prints?" "No, only Johnny Trans!!!" He replied wittingly. "We cleared him though. You were there, remember? It was obvious that Bilkin's was trying to find holes in Brian's statement and trying to trip him up whenever possible. "Shit" Brian thought to himself. "You've landed yourself in it this time". He screamed inside his head, "SCREW UP!!!!!!". A few seconds later, Brian had pulled himself together and calmed down, then continued. "Those were decoy's" he thought quickly. "To throw us off his track". "Really?" he said as doubtfully as it could be said. "Yeah, I told Dom that he was under suspicion of the hijacking's, but that I thought it was Tran. By this time he knew I was a cop. Dom confronted Tran and he admitted it. Obviously he didn't know I was a cop. Once we left, that's when the drive-by happened. Me and Dom went after him and he started shooting on the main road. I defended myself and protected the public by shooting back." He took a deep breath, and slugged the water in front of him. The feeling of cold water running down his throat felt good. He put down the glass and looked at Agent Bilkin's. Bilkin's and his colleague stared at Brian for a couple of minutes, and Brian stared back just as coldly. "Well we'll see if your story checks out in just three days, when the results of the print's come back". Bilkin's broke the silence. "Your released on bail till further notice". Brian got up and headed out of the interview room. He collected his belongings at the front desk, getting some filthy looks from the cops in the process. He didn't say anything to any of them, and once out of the building, took the bus back to his apartment.  
  
That night Tanner called. "So what d'ya tell them?" "What we agreed. Tran was responsible and Toretto wasn't involved. Did you sort your end out?" "When the results come back, that's when I'll do the switch. But I gotta go, I've got paper work as far as the eye can see!!" Brian heard him laughing down the phone. "Yeah, can't say that I'll miss that! See ya 'round". "Yeah!" Brian put the phone on the table. The day after his arrest, Tanner had came into his cell and told him the plan. He'd switch Dom's prints for Johnny Tran's. They'd concocted a story for the FBI about Jesse's death but he wouldn't say anything about Vince unless asked. But luckily nobody had asked anything as of yet. He remembered the conversation in the cell: "Why you doin this Tanner?" he had asked. "Listen.Brian. We've worked together for four years. I don't know what I'd without you" he placed his hand on his heart and spoke in a woman's voice. Brian punched his arm jokingly. "C'mon man!" "Seriously Brian. I don't think you deserve to go to jail. You just gotta trust me. I don't want you to go to jail". Tanner had always showed a paternalistic attitude towards Brian and it was shining through there. They had adjusted the story to cover Brian and Dom's asses and left it at that. At first Tanner wanted to let Dom take the rap, but Brian convinced him that if he did, Dom would take him down with him. He knew this wouldn't happen, but he saw no other way of helping out Dom and the team.  
  
"Well Tanner. Brian's story checked out. Tran's prints were all over the car. Although he's dead, he's been charged with the hijackings. I got nothing on O'Connor or 'Team Toretto', so they're off the hook". Tanner looked at him. A surprised expression on his face.  
  
"D..D..Damn" he forced out in a 'pretended to be angry' voice. "If only we'd known before. We wasted all that time and money on Toretto. We should've listened to O'Connor". "Yeah well" he said exhaustedly. After a long pause and countless "Fuck its" , Tanner started to head out of the building. "I'll go tell Brian" he announced before leaving.  
  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - END OF FLASHBACK - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
  
Brian had replayed the events of that week in his mind. He still had trouble believing that the charges against him and Dominic had been dropped. He had even more trouble believing how lucky he had been to get Tanner's help. At one time, he thought the FBI was setting him up. But in the end he had trusted Tanner, having nowhere else to turn, and it turned out that he had been right to do so. "That's a story for Dom and Mia. How I managed to stop Dom going down" he thought out aloud. "That oughta give me something to work with!" He thought that if he ever met Dom again, Dom might think that Brian was trying to set him up or bring him down. But hopefully this would be proof of his good intentions. But most of all, he just wished for a second chance. 


	6. The Decision

Chapter 6  
  
The next morning, Brian had gotten up at 8am to start work on his Eclipse. He had managed to roll the car from the parking lot, where he had left it, out in front of his garage. Next, he had placed the parts to be fitted and installed onto tables all around the car, making sure that no time was wasted in finding the parts. He had just finished this when six modified, street racing cars, pulled into the parking lot. Brian recognised them straight away and headed over to greet the guys. Once car doors had stopped banging shut, he realised that there wasn't 10 guys but 13. "Here's me thinkin' that I was gonna be working with 10 guys. You got about 13 here!" Brian exclaimed, glad for an extra three pairs of hands. "Yeah, homey. I managed to pull another couple a' guys together. Figured that 13 pairs of hands would be better dan 10 right!" "Hell yeah!" He slapped hands and spoke to each and every guy, thanking them for their help. When he got to Edwin, he noticed immediately that something was off. It looked like something was bothering him, and he wasn't smiling in that menacing way he usually did. "What's up Edwin? You O.K man?" Edwin looked around and waited until Hector and the gang had moved away to check out the new parts. "You got somewhere I can put these in?" he asked holding up a batch of Corona's. He was avoiding the question. "Yeah, sure. C'mon in", he answered slowly and very unsurely. Then he showed Edwin into his apartment, and once the beers were taken care of, Brian once again tried to find out what's wrong. "So what's wrong?" Edwin paused, for what seemed like hours, and looked everywhere, and at everything but Brian. But he couldn't put it off any longer. "I got some news yesterday from a racer". Brian laughed out loud. "C'mon, that's it. Well what news?" he stopped laughing for Edwin to go on, but a massive smile still spread across his face. "Well this racer." He paused once again. "Yeah?" "He knows where Toretto is", he said looking up at Brian. Brian pulled back, and the smile hit the floor like a ton of bricks. Not knowing if what he was heard was true, and he stumbled back, leaning against the worktop for support. After waiting many months to get news of Toretto, he finally had it. "I wont tell ya more if you don't want to know. I just thought that with Mia and Dom.Ya know!!" He waited, but when Brian didn't reply, he headed out of the kitchen. But just as he got to the door, Brian grabbed his arm. "Edwin. Wait". Having considered Tanner's advice about forgetting them and moving on, he realised that without Mia, life wasn't worth the hassle, and he missed Dom too. "Tell me where they are!" "You sure you want to know?" He enquired, hoping he wouldn't have to tell him. "TELL ME" Brian demanded. "Mexico" he said slowly. Brian paused, making sure he wouldn't forget. "Are they alright? Is everyone O.K?" Edwin, not knowing if Brian really wanted to hear this, said nothing. "Edwin" he warned. He was getting so fucking frustrated with the pauses. This was so important to him, he wanted to know everything that Edwin knew. "From what I've been told, Dom's in trouble with a gang down there. He's been throwin' down the pinks, and losin' his cars". He saw the worried look come over his face. Once the news of Dom's situation had sunk in he asked: "And what about Mia, and the other guys?"  
  
"I honestly don't know. My guy never said anything about them." Edwin tried to lighten the atmosphere. "Who'd ave' thought huh? Toretto losing cars. Must have some pretty hot cars down there". Seeing it wasn't working, he left Brian and his thoughts alone, and headed out to the garage to do what he came to do.  
  
About 10 minutes later, Brian appeared in front of his car. Hector slid out from under the engine bay, oblivious to the information Brian just received. "Took your time man. We've started already!" he exclaimed, obviously happy to be working on the car. "Sorry man. Needed to think some shit through." "Lame excuse" he said to himself. "That's cool. What you wanna do? I got Mike and Matt threading sleeves, Simon's seein' to the intercooler, and Cole over there's looking at Body Kits. You got anything in mind?" "Nah. I've been too busy concentrating on getting the car running. I'm open to ideas though." The truth was, his mind had already started to wonder about what he was goin to do, and he was findin' it extremely hard to focus on the job at hand. "I thought of another Robocar maybe, or a combat wing and body kit." "Sounds cool. I'll see to it later. I think I'll start on the bodywork. I was gonna leave it till after the car was runnin. But with the extra guys to cover the engine, I can make a start now. That means that some of everything has been done today." "Aight man!" Brian headed to the side of the car, noticing as he passed, how the guys moved around the parts, and worked the car with effortless expertise. "Your doin good guys" he praised them He stood in front of Edwin who looked up from unpacking the boxes. "You cool man?" "Yeah" he said looking around. He slung his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "What you gonna do man?" he asked. "Once the cars up and runnin and finished, I'm goin to Mexico". He sounded so definite that Edwin knew he had made up his made for good. "Well if your sure!" he said, placing a hand on Brian's shoulder. "I am Edwin. After what you told me, he needs my help. I cant leave it knowing their in trouble." "Sure. Let's get this beast running then" he shouted as he slapped Brian's shoulder. "I'm gonna go to Harry's then and get the parts I need for the bodywork. You guys O.K. here while I'm away?" "We got it covered. Go spend another few thousand!" At that, the two guys headed in different directions to do separate jobs. 


	7. Races All Over

Chapter 7  
  
The following Friday, Letty was sat on Mia bed, making silly conversation. But she couldn't put it off any longer. "Mia, you gotta move on, this isn't doin ya any good." Letty ignored Dom's advice about giving Mia time to get over Brian, and tried to talk to her. "Just leave it Letty. What am I supposed to do anyway?" she said in her unusually frustrated voice. "Move on. Brian's gone and he doesn't know where to look for us. He might not even want to look for us. We don't know!" She emphasized the fact that none of the crew knew what had happened to Brian. Mia was fighting hold back the tears. "Letty you don't understand. I haven't felt that way about anyone before, and I never will. I'll love him all my life." She was now beginning to sob. "Your forgetting he lied to us all. Me, Dom, and you!" "No you're forgetting." She roared, getting up in Letty's face. Her face was bright red with anger. "He let Dom go. He saved Dom. All of us!" Letty began to get angry as well, and shouted back. "HE'S A COP MIA. NOT SOME SHOP ASSISTANT. A COP!" "Don't you think I know that? When he told me, it cut a hole in my heart. But he didn't arrest Dom. If he did, Dom would've gone down for life. Not two years but life Let. That's all there is to it. He stopped being a cop as soon as he handed Dom those keys." Letty thought about what Mia had just said. Realising she was right, she sat back down on the bed and began to rub her hands. Mia pushed her hair behind her ears and sat down next to her. "You're right." She whispered. "Say again!" Mia asked, not catching what she said. "I said 'you're right'". Mia just looked longingly at her best friend. Letty got up and headed back downstairs. Everyone looked at her as she came down the stairs. They'd obviously heard everything. "What's up? She alright?" Vince asked. He and Leon were browsing some magazines, Dom was working on the Supra at the garage. "She'll come round. Still hung up though!"  
  
Back in L.A. that very same night, Brian and Edwin had just finished fitting the new 'Greddy High Horse Power Turbo Kit' for his Eclipse. "When you leaving for Mexico man?" Edwin asked. "Hopefully in 4 weeks time. You think ma car'll be finished by then? It should be!" "Yeah, definitely. We've been workin' it for what, 6 days, and we've almost finished with the engine. Two more days, and we can all start on the bodywork and interior. Hector's bringin' the new Nos lines tomorrow and then he'll get that fitted. It's almost ready for a spin." He said, perking up at the thought of Brian racing again. "Yeah, just about", he said, not sure about what Edwin meant. "You gonna try it at Race Wars next week?" "There it is" Brian said to himself. He knew Edwin meant that he should run it at Race Wars, finished or not. "Nah. Can't do that" he replied. "Huh! Your not runnin it??" he said extremely confused. "I cant take it with burnt green paint. I'll be laughed outta the place" he exclaimed. "Just test it, not competition!". "I've got it planned. I'm gonna wait till it's completely finished and then hit em full force. Don't want to give any racers a preview" he said laughing at the end. Brian saw Edwin's face still wasn't clear of confusion and added some more. "I mean, I will run it, make sure everything's O.K. like, but I'm not gonna race it, till it's 100% complete." "Oh well dude. It's your car. I want first challenge though!" Edwin knew he couldn't beat this Eclipse, but wanted to try. "Sure thing, I'ma need the money." They both chuckled, finished fittin the Turbo Kit, and went for a beer.  
  
  
  
"Yo Dom, you want something to drink?" Letty shouted out the back of the house. "Bring me a beer!" he replied. Letty collected two beers from the cooler and headed out to talk to Dom. "Here ya go" she handed him the beer. "Thanks babe" he leant down and gave her a quick kiss. Then he took a swig of the bottle, and bent back over the car. "You on top of everything here Dom". She asked uncertain of the reply. "Yep" he answered definitely. "Just tunein' the Nos timer. Then I'm finished." He had been working all week, ever since last Saturday night, perkin' up his car. "Dom, I think you should wait. Just a few more weeks. Race the others, sure, but leave Tyler, his car's far too hot to race right now." "Letty, we've been through this. Everythings gonna be O.K. He's goin down tomora night!" She just looked at him, straight in the eye. They had both managed to stay calm, no-one had raised their voice, and they spoke nicely to each other. "If your sure then" she accepted. "I am" Dom answered, confident of his victory. Letty had turned and made her way back to the house. She stopped at the steps, and turned to face him. He had been watching her go, and looked back at her. "Just to let you know, if the Supra goes, we got no more cars. You know as well as I do that my car, and the other's cars, don't stand a chance of beating street racers down here." Dom just nodded his head, then looked at the grass below his feet. He didn't want to think about what would happen if he lost. Basically it meant the end for 'Team Toretto'. Letty continued on into the house and sat in front of the TV with Leon and Vince. "You get throught to him yet?" She paused before answering. "Nope. He's racing Tyler tomora night and there's nothing we can do "That's it then" Vince put in. "He's gonna lose his car". Letty and Leon looked at him, then nodded in agreement.  
  
The following day, Brian was shaken awake by Edwin and Hector. "Were leaving for Race Wars, you comin?" After he had rubbed his eyes and sat up, he smiled. His watch told him that it was 2pm. He had been up late drinkingin the guys in the apartment downstairs. "I told ya man, I'm not racing ma car!" "Not to race dumb ass. To watch us race!" Hector informed him. "How exciting!" "Well what else you gonna do. Work on your car while were gone?" he asked sarcastically. Brian thought it through for a moment, and then nodded in agreement. "Give me half an hour to get ready an I'll come!" he said as he got up and made his way to the bathroom. "Sure, we'll wait here!" Once they could hear the shower running, Hector turned to Edwin. "You told him bout Toretto then?" he said, knowing the answer before Edwin could reply. "A had to man!" he said pathetically. "Yeah, what's he gonna do?" "Goin after him. Wants to help him a guess!" "He got a death wish or something?" Hector laughed. Edwin shrugged his shoulders and smiled. Little did they know that under six hours, Toretto would be racing for his best car. 


	8. His Heart

Chapter 8  
  
Saturday night at 7:30pm, Hector and Edwin rolled into 'Race Wars' with their crews behind them. Brian was riding in Edwin's car, and they eyed the competition. "Cant wait till I'm here in ma own car!" he said longingly as he looked out of the window at a red Acura with white snow graphics scattered all over it. Suddenly, the vision of Mia's light blue Acura with its 'purple lady' along the side of it, flashed before his eyes. He locked his eyes shut and looked at the floor. "You all right man? You look pale!" he asked looking briefly at Brian before turning back to the road. "Errrm. yes" he replied rubbing his eyes. "Got a bit of a headache. Must be the booze from last night". He quickly replied, using the first excuse that came into his head. "OK then, lets get this race started." Obviously excited, Edwin jumped out of the car and headed for Monica.  
  
"Yo baby, see ya after da race" he informed her that their after-race agreement still stood. "I'm here, whether you win or lose" she replied seductively. He winked at her, then made his way over to where a crowd had gathered. Brian stayed behind and waited at the car. "God this place hasn't changed much in the last few months." He thought to himself. The same cars, some new one with young kids, about 17 or 18 he figured, the same racer-chasers, and the same talk. He was so busy looking around that he never noticed Danny Yamoto walking up behind him. He touched his shoulder and Brian jumped. "Dammit Danny. You scared the shit outta me!" catching his breath. "Sorry Brian. Seen ya hangin and decided to come talk". Brian had laughed his scare off and had sat on the hood of Edwin's car. "What's been happenin Brian? Anything interesting?" He thought about telling Brian that he was fixin his car, but decided it would be better to surprise him instead. "Nothing much. Jus' chillin'. Ya know!" "Hell yeah. Ain't been missin much down here anyway." He replied dissapointedly. "Nah?" he asked surprised. "There aint even any good cars to beat. Those kids are just playing, but they aint got nothing special". "That's what it looks like to me to man". Brian and Danny talked about recent events and car shows, but were interrupted when music began to blare out of speakers placed all around the abandoned airfield. "I'm gonna go get a drink." Danny told him. "Yeah, I'm comin wiv ya". Despite his drinking binge the night before, he wanted to get pissed and enjoy himself. He had been hanging round the truck that had been modified into a bar, when a girl grabbed him around the waist. He turned around and came face to face with this tall, thin, and toned, blonde haired white girl. She kissed him on the cheek and he just started at her. Danny had left to race and he was sitting by himself.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" He asked the striking stranger. He had never seen her before in his life. "I've been watching you from over there for about 15 minutes. Figured you'd like to go for a drive in ma car!" she replied seductively. "Oh did you now?" he answered defiantly. "Yeah, are we goin or not?" She was getting impatient and had started to run her hands under his T-Shirt and all over his skin. "Not", he said as he pushed her away. "I bet I can change your mind" she made a move to approach him again and he stopped her in her tracks. "You're wasting your time!" "Why is that?" she proded. "See this heart?" he held his hand over his heart. "Yeah. So?" she asked, confused. "It's got Mia written all over it. That's why!" he answered proudly. "Ah, that Toretto chick. I heard yous two had a fling!" she ordered a shot of Tequila. Brian suddenly became very angry and stood up. "It wasn't a fling. Were made for each other!" he yelled. She drew him a half smile and defended herself. "Well she's gone, and she aint comin back. That's what I heard." "Well you heard wrong!" With that he downed his Vodka and headed back for Edwin's car. 


	9. The Race Part 1

Chapter 9  
  
The day had flown in for Letty, Leon, Vince, and Mia. They had been hinting to Dom all day that they didn't want him to race, but he had ignored them and went for a drive to see if he had improved the Supra at all. "Not bad" he thought to himself. The engine purred like a kitten, and he could almost feel the gas running through his blood. However, the inevitable could not be postponed, and before they knew it, it was time to leave. The girls hadn't even bothered to change their clothes, as they knew it was no ordinary race night.  
  
Tyler had been waiting for Toretto for almost half an hour, and was about to leave when he heard the roar of engines. As the crowd looked over towards the gate, they saw three of 'Team Toretto's' cars heading towards them. They pulled up a few inches away from the crowd. Dom got out of the orange Supra first, followed by Letty and Mia, who had taken Letty's purple Nissan, and Vince and Leon, who got out of Leon's yellow SkyLine. The four of them looked at one another, then at Tyler, and finally over at Dom.  
  
"Let's go Tyler. I'm ready to get this over with," he demanded. "You're making demands of me Toretto?" he laughed. "Whatever, I'll see you at the starting line." Dom and Letty glanced behind Tyler, and saw his silver Evo. The Mazda was parked a bit away from it, and Dom narrowed his eyes when he saw Niko sitting in the drivers seat. It looked as if he was mucking around with the sound system. "One more thing. What's the prize?" asked Tyler. "You have to ask me that. You know what I want!" he exclaimed. "Ah, the Mazda." He paused and rubbed his chin and smiled.  
  
"I don't know. I kinda like it", he teased, looking back at the red car. "But I'll tell you what, since I'm sure there aint no risk of me losing, I'll meet ya halfway." "Go on" Dom nodded. He knew where this was going. "You win, you can have the Mazda. But if I win, I take your Supra!" Dom glanced back at the car and then at his team. Letty and Leon shook their heads, telling him not to do it. But he sighed and turned back around. "You gotta deal"  
  
The crowd cheered and raised their arms in the air. Everyone turned simultaneously and headed to the starting line. 


	10. The Race Part 2

Chapter 10  
  
Dom's Supra pulled up to the line first, followed by Tyler's Mitsubishi Evolution. Dom checked his exhaust temperature gauge, and made sure his boost gauge was working. All fine. He pressed play on the remote control, and instantly Limp Bizkit's 'Rollin' blasted out of the speakers. In the next car, Tyler did nothing but look out onto the strip of road in front of him. Suddenly he looked over at Dom. "Yo. Toretto!" he hollered. Trying to be heard over the roar of his exhaust. "Just a little something to think about." "Oh yeah, what's that?" Dom asked. Not really interested in the conversation. "You'd better tell Mia to watch her back". Dom looked over fiercely.  
  
"What the fuck did you say?" But before Tyler could answer, a Mexican who frequently raced stepped between the cars. He raised his arms.  
  
Dom was still looking at Tyler when he pointed at the guy with his arms in the air. Dom looked out in front. He had to get his mind on the race, and deal with Tyler's shit later. Suddenly the Mexican dropped his arms, and the tires on both cars squealed in resistance. They were off. Dom took the lead, and he couldn't see Tyler on either side of him. He changed up gears and his car thundered on. Everything became a blur. Although his car could do a quarter mile in 9 seconds, it felt like this race was taking 9 minutes. His mind was bent on reaching the finish line first and just when he thought he had it, he saw a silver wing out of the corner of his eye. Tyler had been shocked at how quick Dom had gotten away. "the car's not as bad as I thought" he said to himself. "Nothing I cant handle" he said aloud. He pressed his foot to the floor and his car quickly caught up with the Supra. The finish line was now in sight, and Dom was starting to sweat. With a quick glance down, he eyed the red button and then looked back at the road. He pushed the button with all his might, as if pressing it that bit harder would make him go that bit faster. He was well prepared for the knock-back and handled the car expertly. There was almost no sign that he had used Nos, except for the fact that he now left Tyler in a pit of smoke. Tyler obviously noticed this, and was alarmed that he had been beaten to the button. He in turn pushed his, and soon caught up with Dominic. Dom's Nos shot was running out and Tyler thought for a moment that he had lost. And then he done something he never thought he would. He pressed his second Nos button, and the car swerved slightly to the right with the over-force. In a smudge of orange and black, he completely obliterated the Supra and crossed the finish line first. Dom came in about half a second later.  
  
Dom sat in his car and took deep breaths. "Did that just happen" he said. He looked all around him and the crowd stood silent. Dom got out of the car and headed over to where Tyler was being slapped in congratulation by his crew. Dom looked over to where his team had been standing, and the look upon their faces was heart-breking. "Tyler" he interrupted. The guy who beat him turned around. "Where's the keys to my new car?" he demanded, holding out his hand. Dom hesitated, the threw them at him. He caught them in the chest, and in turn threw them to Flaco, who ran past Dom and jumped into the car. "Anything else?" "Yeah as a matter of fact there is. What did you mean about Mia?" he asked, his face growing dark and serious. "What I said, she'd better watch her back!" "And what does that mean?" he asked. "You'll find out before long. That's it. Let's go!" Tylers crew headed to their cars and drew out of 'The Strip'. Dom walked over to his team.  
  
The five of them watched, as the two best cars they ever had, were driven out of their lives, by the guy with the worst reputation in this part of the country. He walked over to Letty, and stood in front of her. "God Dammit Dom. What have you done?" she started to cry and climbed into car, followed by Mia. She offered some comfort by touching his side, and giving him a smile. It was a half-hearted smile though, and he knew it. The girls drove furiously away from him, and he then turned to the guys. "Get in Dom" Vince ordered. "Guy's let me exp.." He was cut off by Leon. "Just do it Dom. You don't need to speak!" A comment like this, usually awarded the speaker a visit to the hospital. But this time he co-operated. He climbed into the car, knowing he should've listened to them after all. Too late now. 


	11. Foiled Phone Calls

Chapter 11  
  
Two weeks had passed since the girl at Race Wars, and Brian was at the end of his wits. The dreams of Mia had gone past pure lust and loneliness, and had progressed onto dreaming of what would happen when he met her again. It was only Edwin, Hector and Brian who were working on the Eclipse that day. The other guys had shown up in the morning, but Brian had told them they could go. He wasn't in the mood for swarms of people all around him. He was sat in the car, fittin' in his new sound system. The sweat had saturated his T-Shirt and turned it dark grey. He wiped his brow. "This heat's killing me man!" stating the obvious to the others. Edwin and Hector were in the back. Edwin was securing the passenger seat, while Hector was fine-tuning the Nos Deck. They were in the same state, except Edwin had taken off his shirt. His muscles rippled as he fought with the bolt, to tighten the seat to the floor, that extra bit. They muttered their "Mmm Hmm's" in agreement. "We gonna take a break?" Hector sounded from the back. "I'm havin' a cravin for a few Corona's. "Got you there brother", Edwin sat upright and slapped hands with him. "Sure. We're nearly there anyway!" Brian approved. As the guys stepped out they looked at the paintwork. "Of all the designs, you choose the same one you had before." Hector tutted disappointedly "Yeah, I know" Brian ran his hand along the side wing, feeling no bumps or grooves. "We've done a good job," he thought to himself. "Why man?" Edwin asked. "I had some great designs for ya an' all." Brian didn't look up, but paused before answering. "It just felt right. If I'd crashed it or blown it up, then it would've been changed. But it was Tran shooting it up. It's my way of saying 'Fuck you'. Know what I mean?" He looked at the guys for their opinions. "Yeah man. Although he's dead, it's like sayin', 'I won'" Hector agreed. Edwin just looked at it. The Kawasaki green shone in the sun. The graphics of lightning caught the sun and reflected it back. "Yeah well, I have to admit" he finally spoke. "It looks hot". He nodded at Brian to tell him that he also understood. They stood for a few more minutes, admiring their handiwork. It was unbelievable. This burnt down piece of shit, had been transformed into possibly the best and quickest car in L.A. To look at it, no one would have thought that it had been shot to hell, and then threw up into the air by exploding NOS. "Tell you what though." He turned to his friends. "It's gonna go like hell". They all laughed, knowing that he wasn't mistaken. It was probably twice as god and quick a car, as it had been when he first raced Toretto. "C'mon, lets go grab those beers!" The three guys turned and headed into the apartment.  
  
Since the night of the race, it had been all quiet in the Toretto household. It was only really Letty and Mia who spoke to each other. Everyone else either got pissed and fell asleep, or spent most of their time at night clubs. It was late on Monday night when Letty came into Mia's bedroom. She found Mia sitting on the bed, staring at her cell phone, with tears rolling slowly down her face. "Mia, what's wrong?" Letty asked. "Nothing. I'm fine" She didn't look up or away, just kept staring at the phone. Letty walked around the bed and leaned over her shoulder. The name 'Brian' and a cell number was flashing on the blue screen. Mia quickly wiped away the tears and turned to face Letty. "You think I should call him?" she was hoping for advice. "Mia c'mon. Why you wanna do that? He doesn't know where we are and he ain't gonna!" she spoke softly, but intentionally firm. "He will if I tell him" Mia shot back. "Don't be so fucking stupid Mia. You know what Dom what do to him if he showed up here. You want that to happen to him?" Letty got up and snatched the phone out of Mia's hand. She put it on the dresser and turned back to Mia, only to see her head was buried in her hands. She looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath. "Mia. I'm sorry" she apologised. "It's just. Well. Give Dom time to come around." Mia lifted her head and dried her eyes with the sleeve of her top. She paused to stop her voice from shaking. Her cheeks were flushed red with the tears and her eyes were badly bloodshot. "Letty you know just as well as I do that Dom's gonna keep racing Tyler till we have nothing left." Letty considered what Mia just said and put a hand on Mia's shoulder. "He hasn't got any cars to bet. And ours aint even worth the trouble. Tyler's Evo is just to damn fast." She tried to sound like she believed every word. "That won't matter to him. He won't settle for second place, even if it means bettin all we have. If we phone Brian, maybe he can get something on Tyler that we can use against him. You never know Let!" "It's just too dangerous. Dom's been talking to Chris, they'll take care of it. Don't worry!" She hugged Mia, then got and started to leave the room. "Letty, just listen to wha.." Mia had began to say something but Letty cut her off. "That's it Mia. End of discussion!" She hated being so harsh with her best friend, but she couldn't risk putting any of them, including Brian, in danger. She picked up the phone then left the room. 


	12. Call Him

Chapter 12  
  
When Dom came back from his walk that night, Letty was waiting for him. All the others were watching TV and she was sitting on the bench on the garden. About half and hour passed, and then she saw him walk towards her. "Can we talk?" she asked, jumping up from her seat. "What about Letty? I'm tired," he complained. It was clear to see that he wasn't in the mood for talking. He sat down and she went to join him. "What are we gonna do now?" she asked. "About what?" he asked, his voice more deep and serious than usual. "Money. I could just pay for the shopping this afternoon. We got no money!" Letty used her hands to emphasise her point, shaking them quickly. Since Mia hardly left her room nowadays, Letty had assumed the role of 'Mother of the Group' and did all the shopping and cleaning. Dom hadn't said anything and she urged him on. "Well? What's its gonna be? We can't race, Mia cant work." She pointed out. "I'll get a job if I have to!" he backed down, lowering his head. "Dom, you haven't held onto a job for more than two months. Plus it better be a well paying job, coz the bills are due any week now" she had began roaring. It was pissing her off that Dom took all of this so lightly. "Well, I've been thinking!" he concluded. As her looked at Letty, she raised her hands and screamed at him. She knew what he was thinking before he even said it, simply by the look in his eyes. She knew that look all to well. "HELL NO DOM, YOU AINT RACING NO MORE. BESIDES YOU DON'T HAVE A CAR TO RACE, REMEMBER??" "Stop screamin and listen dammit," he hollered back. "Leon's got, potentially, the best car out of all of yous. If I fix it up, add some NOS I could race again!" "You can't beat Tyler in Leon's car and you know it!" "I WONT RACE TYLER". It was his turn to roar now. "Just some other guys that Leon's car can beat." He looked at her to voice her thoughts. "You know what Dom? FUCK IT. " She said calmly. She couldn't believe for a minute that he was seriously thinking of this. She could feel the tears well up out of sheer disappointment. Letty got up, and headed back into the house.  
  
As she trampled up the stairs and headed towards her and Dom's room, she paused at Mia's door. She licked her top lip, like she always did when thinking hard about something. She took very slow steps, heading toward the door. Letty knocked the door, and waited. "I don't believe I'm doin this" she whispered.  
  
When Mia opened the door, Letty was standing with one hand on her waist, and the other she used for support to lean against the door.  
  
"C'mon in" Mia invited her. Despair thick in her voice. She sat down on the chair at the window, the wind rustling her hair. Letty walked behind her, and then came around to stand in front of her. She whipped the phone out of the pocket of her jeans and threw it into Mia's lap. Then she paused and looked out the window. "What's this for?" Mia asked. She was obviously confused and shrugged her shoulders at Letty. "Call him!" she demanded after a long pause. "Who?" "Brian. Call him!" she demanded with a defeated tone in her voice. "I don't understand, you told me to wait!" she exclaimed. "You were right Mia. I just talked to Dom, and he's planning on racin Leon's car." She looked sadly at Mia, their deep brown eyes watching one another. "What race Tyler? In Leon's car?" she sounded with amazement. "No not Tyler, just others that he can beat. He says it's for the money". Letty paused and looked out into the night at the bright stars. "I don't know Mia. Maybe Brian can make him see straight. They understand one another". "Letty, I don't know if I can. Speak to Brian I mean. I wouldn't know what to say!" She shrugged heavily, and shook the phone. "You'll know when you speak to him. Don't worry." She laughed out loud. Mia just looked at her, wondering what was so fuuny. "Who'd have thought eh? Me givin you advice on guys!" she chuckled. That lightened the tone, and for the first time in months, Mia smiled. Not a half-smile, or a forced smile, just a normal smile. It lit up her face. Then she turned her head down and looked at her watch. "It's too late to call him now. I'll call in the morning when Dom goes out!" she said through her smile. "Alright girl!" she bent down and planted a kiss on Mia's head, then left the room. Mia watched her go, and then turned to the phone. "Oh God, what am I gonna say to him!" But her thoughts moved onto thinking if he was alright, if he'd come see her, if he was seeing someone else, was he charged with the hijacking's, what happened to the Trans? With so many thoughts in her head, and the cool breeze blowing in through the window, it was no wonder that she fell asleep right there and then on the chair. 


	13. Plans

Chapter 13  
  
The guys had just finished the spoiler on Brian's car, when his phone started ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket, and flipped open the screen. "Who the hells that?" Edwin asked. "Tell them were fixin a car here!" he laughed. "Don't know. Don't recognise the number!" He pressed a button and held the phone to his ear. "Hello?" There was silence on the other end of the phone, and he was about to hang up. "Brian?" this sweet voice sounded on the other end. He immediately looked at Edwin and Hector and searched their eyes. "You there?" the voice asked. "Mia. That you?" he eventually replied. He couldn't believe this was happening. She had called him. The two guys just looked intently at him.  
  
"Yeah, can you talk?" she definitely sounded nervous. "Hang on" he covered the phone with his hand and spoke to the guys. "It's Mia." The guys looked from one to the other. Each as surprised and shocked as the next. "Why don't you two grab something to eat, and I'll get you back here in a while!" His pulse was racing, but he wanted to be alone to talk to Mia. Edwin and Hector took the hint and headed for their cars, neither saying anything. Brian turned and leaned against his car. "Yeah Mia, go ahead," he didn't want to waste the time he had with her. "I just wanted to know if your O.K!" That wasn't the real reason, and they both knew it, but they were just so pleased to be speaking to each other. "Yeah, I'm fine. You?" "Not bad, hangin in there!" "What about Dom and the team? They OK too?" he wondered if what he heard was real. "They're OK. Letty's here with me. The guys went to the market." "Dom doesn't your callin' does he?" Brian concluded. For a moment there he thought that Dom might've wanted her to call him. "No. But don't worry, he wont find out!" They continued to talk about what was happening with each of them. At first they both spoke slowly, not knowing what the other felt. But before long, they were talking as if they weren't hundreds of miles apart. Mia didn't mention Tyler, and Dom didn't mention his car, or the cops. They worked on becoming comfortable with the sound of each other's voices again. Once they had been speaking for half an hour, Mia heard the roar of Leon's Skyline pulling into the drive. "I've got to go Brian. The guys are back". She sounded scared. "Mia.wait. When can I call you again?" he asked, hoping this wasn't the one and only conversation they were going to have. "I'll call you on Thursday, there going to a friend's house. OK?" He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Sure. That's fine with me" He managed to say back, before he was cut off. He stared at the phone a minute longer, before putting it back in his pocket. The strangest feeling came over him. He had the urge to drive his car, and he did as his instincts told him. He opened the door to his car, seeing his reflection in the tinted windows, and climbed in. The keys were on the passenger seat. Picking them up, he put it into the ignition and the car roared to life. The biggest smile of his life spread across his face as he listened to the engine tick over perfectly beneath him. It had been about 9 months since he'd driven the car. Before he knew it, he had driven for almost 5 miles, then turning and driving back, he couldn't wait to race it once again.  
  
"This sticking to the speed limit is boring" he commented.  
  
"Letty? Mia?" Dom shouted as he walked into the kitchen. "In here!" they replied together. "What's up with you two?" he asked, noticing the smile spread across Mia's face and the way Letty walked around the room. "Eeeermm. Nothing" Mia corrected herself. "Just girl stuff. You wouldn't understand" she said, patting Dom's chest as she passed him and headed upstairs, following Letty. Dom was wondering what had come over Mia as she hadn't been this happy for months. His train of thought was interrupted by Vince telling him to come watch the movie.  
  
"So, did you tell him?" Letty asked. She had left halfway through their conversation, giving them some privacy, and had come back just before they heard Leon's car. "I was going to when Dom came back!" she said jumping onto the bed. "Miiaaa!" Letty groaned. "What we gonna do now? Brian was our last chance". "What? I'm callin him on Thursday again. I'll tell him then OK". Mia was looking for her nail kit, whilst talking to Letty. "Mia, don't go getting caught up in him again. We need his help, that's all!" Letty strictly told her. "No Letty, YOU need his help. I need HIM" she laughed, squidging up her nose. Letty realised that Mia wasn't going to listen, so she left her to it. "I'm a go take a shower!" she said getting up off the bed. "Cool." Was all that Mia replied. She was too busy filing her nails.  
  
When Brian got back to the garage, he noticed the two street racing cars parked where they always were. He looked at his watch. "Holy Shit." He realised that he had been gone for almost two hours. "Where the hell d'you get to man?" Hector complained, as Brian shut the door behind him. "I went for a drive. After I spoke to Mia, I just wanted to drive," walking past them into his apartment. "We thought you went down to Mexico already" Edwin remembered. "Nah, just a drive!" he said looking at back at them. They followed him into the flat and waited for him in front of the TV. Brian came in with a bottle of Vodka, Tequila, and a few shot glasses. "So how'd it go? Good?" They asked, having the same question in their minds. Brian placed the bottles and glasses on the table in front of them. "I got two words for you guys;" he paused. "FUCKIN' AYYY". They all laughed and gave each other a slap on the hand.  
  
An hour, and 10 shots later, Edwin felt he had to ask. "Soooo...What Mia want?" he managed to slur out. They weren't drunk...YET. "Just to see what's happenin'" he told the both of them. "They OK down there" Hector put in. "I don't know. Somethin in her voice told me something was wrong. But she didn't actually say what it was!" He thought deeply. "You gonna speak to her again?"  
  
"Yep. She's calling on Thursday." He replied happily, another smile spreading. "Cool. You tell her your coming down" Edwin asked more seriously. Brian lowered his head. "No. Not yet. But Thursday." 


	14. Realisation Occurs

Chapter 14  
  
Although they were separated by many miles, the days passed very slowly for both Mia and Brian. Letty, Leon, Vince, and Dom noticed the change in Mia. Where she used to wear old trousers and any old top, with her hair slung back in a messy ponytail, now she wore leather trousers with her best tops and wore her hair down liked she always used to. Her attitude was different too. She was more than keen to go parties, tidy the house, and she even resumed the role of mother in the group. Brian was going through the same transformation. He worked at his car with a frenzy, trying to get it finished as soon as. It had been 5 weeks since the repairs started, and now there was only a few things left to do. Thursday couldn't come quick enough for either of them.  
  
It was Wednesday night, and Harry had come round to see how Brian's car was coming along. "So, you gonna let me see it then or what?" He was dead excited at seeing the car. "I don't know" Brian replied slowly. "I said there weren't going to be any advance previews." He was teasing Harry like hell. "C'mon man, I seen everything when I sold it to you. I just want to see how it all fits together that's all!" Brian pro-longed the wait for a couple of minutes, then he gave in. "All right, let's go". He grabbed the keys to the garage and the car off the counter and headed outside, followed by Harry. As the door opened, and the light automatically came on, Harry gasped. Brian disabled the alarm. "Jeez, look at this baby", Harry ran his hand along the bonnet, and opened the door. A quick look inside and he was chuckling to himself. "Goes to show what a hundred and twenty grand can do huh?" Brian was impressed by car and very proud of it. "You said it". "Why'd you pick the same exterior design?" Harry was intrigued by the cars look. "Just felt like it. I looked at the other designs, but this is mine and it suits the car best." Harry just shrugged. "Fair enough." Harry understood him. "I've just got the VDO tachometer and fuel meter to fit, the seat harnesses, and re-trim the dashboard, then I'm all go man". Brian sounded pleased. "What's the sound system?" Brian stepped round to the driver's side and got in. "Sony CD/DVD player, Sony mids and tweeters, Sony amps, and subs". "Christ's Sake man. You're the new Kind down here" Harry told him as he looked around the interior. The Monkey Bars roll cage shone in the dim light. "When's your first race? I want to be there." Brian laughed at Harry eagerness. "Friday night. I'll head down to the Warehouse and see what's on offer" Brian had it all planned out. "How much you gonna place?" "8g minimum. Still gotta pay you don't I?" he eyed Harry. "Too true. Don't worry. You'll win em all? Harry was also confident of Brian's win at the races.  
  
"So you gonna tell me what's goin on with Mia or what?" Dom interrogated Letty. "What do you mean?" she replied, wondering what he knew. "Don't pull that one Letty. You only have to look at her to know something's happened. She driving her car again, and lookin' better than ever. What's happened to her?" He knew that Letty knew the reason for the change. He eyed her and she looked away. She had been considering what to tell him, but knew that the longer she kept it from him, the worse he'd take it. "OK if I tell you, promise you wont get up in her face about it?" she asked. Dom knew then that something had happened. He had to know. "Yeah, promise" he told her. "She called Brian two nights ago!" she told him straight. The look on his face, told her he was about to explode. "SHE DID WHAT?" he began to roar. "Dom, you promised" she half-yelled back, placing a hand on his arm. He looked into her eyes and got himself together. He was silent for a while from disbelief that Mia could betray him like that. "Why'd she do that? What did she tell him?" he threw questions at her, demanding to know what they said. "Nothing, they just talked. That's all". Letty looked up into his eyes, trying to see if he believed her. "You sure?" he asked with a tone of doubt. "Absolutely" she fired back. Dom knew by her voice and her look that she was telling the truth. "OK, I'm a go talk to her." Letty let him pass, knowing he wouldn't do anything to hurt Mia. "Mia" he shouted up the stairs. "Get down here" he demanded. Mia came rushing down the stairs, wondering what was so urgent. "What's wrong Dom?" "Why did you call Brian? What's wrong with you, we don't need him?" he tried to reason with her, but his voice was too loud to be reasonable. Mia just stared at him. Then she looked at Letty. "I had to Mia. I couldn't keep it from him" she said with a guilty tone. Mia just looked from Letty to Dom. "What's so wrong with me talking to Brian?" the tears began to well in her eyes. "WE DON'T NEED HIM MIA, THAT'S WHAT!" Dom repeated. "YOR WRONG DOM. I NEED HIM. You have Letty, Leon and Vince have each other." Dom knew where this was going and tried to give her a hug. She allowed herself to be engulfed in his massive body. "I don't have anybody. I want Brian Dom!!" she exclaimed forcefully. Dom didn't say anything; he just rested his head on hers and held her. 


	15. Coming around

Chapter 15  
  
Dom's thoughts kept him awake that night. He wasn't sure where he stood with the 'O'Connor' situation. The biggest part of him wanted to have a fresh start and forget the whole cop thing, but another part of him couldn't forget the way he betrayed all of them, even Mia. "I gotta think what's best for Mia. The rest of us can get by without him, but Mia loves him" he thought to himself. He needed help. He looked down at Letty, who's head was on his chest, with her hand placed on his six pack. "Letty" he whispered, trying to wake her. It wasn't working. "Yo Letty" he said a little louder. She stirred, rubbed her eyes and looked up. "Dom it's late, what d'ya want?" she asked groggily. "I need to talk!" "What about this time?" She sat up and pulled the covers up to her chin. "Brian. What do I do?" Letty just looked at him. Pausing, she then looked around the room, staring into the darkness. "It's up to you, but you know how Mia feels. I don't think she can do without him!" she declared, having spent many hours discussing this with Mia herself. "I know. I've been thinking!" Letty smiled and laughed quietly. "What's funny?" he smiled back. "You've been thinking!!!". He punched her arm jokingly. "C'mon Let, I'm serious here". "Sorry", she bit her lip, "Go on!" "I was thinking that we should see if he wants to come down for a while. In a couple a weeks I mean!" Letty looked up at him, as if she didn't recognise him. "You going soft on me. I thought you'd want to pound the shit outta him for being a cop." "Very funny. The thought of having him around doesn't thrill me, but as Mia said, she's got no-one. Her happiness means more to me than anything!" "I know. Let's do it then!" she agreed. There was a quiet moment when she heard something outside. It sounded like someone down on the street.  
  
"What was that?" she sat up, alert and listening. Dom looked at her and listened. When he didn't hear anything, he looked down at her. "Probably some dogs raidin' the bins. That's all!" he said. "No, it sounded like someone was down there! Check it out!" "Letty it's fine" he tried. "Dom" she pleaded. He got out of bed and looked out the open window. Satisfied he was right, he got back into bed. "No-one there." He comforted her. "Like I said, probably dogs!" Letty sat for a few more minutes, ears straining listening to hear. Hearing nothing she put it to the back of her mind. "So, you gonna ask Brian to come down then?" "I'll wait a few weeks for things to die down. But listen, don't mention this to Mia OK. I don't wanna get her hopes up". Letty thought for a moment, and decided he was right. There was no point in Mia getting excited, Brian might not even want to come anyway. "OK Dom, your right. I wont say anything. Lets get some sleep man". They both rolled over, Letty snuggled into Dom, and they fell asleep. 


	16. A Plan Unvailed

Chapter 16  
  
Cat parked her car next to the sidewalk and got out, slamming the door behind her. Although she despised the Toretto, "This is one step too far" she thought. She hauled up her white trousers, and tried to rub away the grit and dirt at the knees. When it didn't work, she straightened up and rummaged her hands through her hair. "Shit, they were new!" she swore. As she looked up, she noticed the lights in the house were still on. Tyler was waiting up for her. He was sitting on the stairs. "How'd it go?" Tyler kept his gaze fixed on the carpet and swayed from side to side. Cat played with the keys in her hand. "Fine!" she exclaimed and squeezed past him up the stairs. He grabbed her arm and stopped her. "So nothing went wrong? No-one saw you?" "I told you. No", she yelled. Tyler let her arm go, and Cat went up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door. He knew something was wrong and went after her. He didn't knock, and barged in. "What the fuck do you think your doing' Ty?" she screamed at him. "If everything went OK, why you being like this then?" he shouted back. "COZ' I AINT NO FUCKING KILLER, THAT'S WHY!!" She looked at him, then collapsed onto the floor and began sobbing uncontrollably. He got angry with Cat for showing her weakness. "Stop crying Cat." He pointed at the floor, and seeing it wasn't working, he tried his other tactic. "HE WAS PRYING CAT. YOU WANT OUR BUSINESS SPILLED OUT TO EVERYONE IN THE GOD DAMN PLACE. HE NEEDED TO BE SHUT- UP." Cat stopped crying when he yelled and curled up on the floor. He looked down at her and turned to leave. Before he did, he turned back, picked up a glass and threw it against the wall. It smashed into millions of pieces.  
  
It was Thursday morning, and Cat found Tyler in the kitchen pouring coffee. "So what car you fit it to?" Tyler interrogated her. "Why's it matter? It's fitted." She sat down at the table and lit a cigarette. "What car Cat?" he insisted. "It was light blue with a purple figurine on the side of it." She drew a long, deep draw of her smoke. Cat saw him smirk out of the corner of her eye. She turned in her seat, and eyed him narrowly. "What's so funny?" "Nothing" he laughed menacingly. "No, you started it. Tell me what's so funny!!" she demanded. "Know whose car that is?" he asked her. She shook her head. "That's his sisters car. That's whose it is." She looked down and took a deep breath. She contemplated asking him to change his mind, but the consequences made her think otherwise. "Ah well. Shit happens!" Cat concluded. 


	17. Closer connections

Chapter 17  
  
"How am I supposed to tell him Letty? What do I say?" It was now 4pm and Mia was getting anxious about her upcoming phone call with Brian. "All you have to tell him is that we're in some sort of trouble and ask if can find out somethin' about this guy, that's all!" Letty made it sound so easy. The two girls were sittin in Letty's car and she was fixing her CD player. Her eyes were transfixed on the CD loader. "When you gonna call?" Letty asked. She'd be glad when this was over and done with. "In about an hour. That's about the same time I called last time." Mia replied. Letty shook her head. "Well, you wanna come back in an hour and let me finish this then?" She was tired of Mia's piss talk and just wanted to work on her car. Although she wouldn't be racing it in the near future, she enjoyed working on cars, as much as she had back in L.A. "That's cool. I'll go do something else!" Mia got out of the car and headed up to the house. "Jeeez, is nothing gonna upset her these days" Letty said as she watched Mia go.  
  
It was now 5:10pm and Mia was still talkin' a load of shit. "Mia, your getting hysterical. Calm the fuck down and call him!" Letty ordered. "This shit's pissin me off!" Mia took a couple of deep breaths. "I can do this" she said to herself. She pressed 'Call' and put the phone to her ear. It started ringing and she looked at Letty. "Yeah." She recognised Brian's voice immediately. "Brian its Mia." "Hi. How are ya' down there in Baja?" "You know where we are?" she sounded pleasantly surprised. "Yeah, Edwin told me!" he explained. After a short pause, they started talking again. "So, you OK?" "I'm fine. Listen, just to let you know, Dom knows were talkin'. There was silence on the other end. "Brian, you there?". "Yeah, I'm here" he replied. "Wow, Dom knows huh? What'd he say to that?" "Errmm, I think he's getting' used to it." He heard her laugh on the other end. Just the way she did on their first date, when he called the team 'a gang'. Brian decided there was no point in putting it off any longer. "So you gonna tell me what's wrong or what?" Mia was stunned to hear that he knew something was up. "What d'ya mean?" she asked, wondering how much he knew. "One of Edwin's contacts down there told him that Dom's lost his cars through losing races! That true Mia?" She paused whilst wondering what to say. Finally, she thought it would be best to just tell the truth. "Yeah, it's true." She sounded bad. "This guy Tyler's got the Mazda and the Supra." "What? What the hells he runnin?" Brian wondered what Dom raced that was faster than his Supra. "I'll put Letty on. She knows better than me." She handed the phone to Letty. "Brian?" "Yeah. How ya doin' Letty?" "Not bad Brian. OK." Trust Letty to get down to business. "Tyler races a Mitsubishi Evolution 7. I don't know what's runnin under the hood, coz he wont let anybody look!" she explained to him. Brian thought over the cars factory spec, which in itself came close to the supped-up Toyota Supra. "OK Letty. So he's got both of Dom's cars huh!" "Yeah. You think you could talk some sense into him. Now he wants to race in Leon's car". She heard Brian laugh over the phone. "Leon's car. It wont stand a chance in hell". Letty was pleased that someone was on the same level as her. "Tell me about it!" "Can you put Mia back on?" "Sure. See ya around Brian!" She handed the phone back to Mia. "We need your help Brian". Mia sounded desperate. "What d'ya need?" Brian didn't know what he could do to help. "Can you get some info on this guy Tyler for us. We need to know what he's into and what he's doin here. I'm scared that if we don't sort this out soon, Dom's gonna do something he'll regret." Brian knew by her voice that she wasn't fooling around. "Well you got a last name for this guy? That would help!" "I heard someone say 'Holt'. But I'm not sure if that's it or not." "I'll give it a try anyway", he knew that Tanner would help him out one last time. "Give me a couple of days alright!" "Yeah. So..you and Edwin been hangin out lately. Sounds like it to me!" "Well, went to Race Wars last week. But not much else been happening!" He didn't want to tell any of them about his car, it was a surprise.  
  
After talking for another half hour, they were about to hang up when Brian had one more question for Mia. "So is Dom there? I wanna speak with him!" "Ahh no. I don't think that's a good idea Brian" she replied quickly. "I don't think he's ready to deal with another complication just yet". "So I'm a complication am I?" Mia heard him laugh and knew he was joking. "Not to me you aint. But you know Dom. He'll talk when HE'S ready and not a minute before". It wasn't a lie or an excuse, and Brian knew it. "OK then. See your point. I'm gonna go and get that information for you!". "Thanks Brian. Thanks for your help. See ya." "Bye" they waited for each other to hang up. "Bye" Mia said, and finally made the move of hangin up the phone. Once done, she quickly turned around and giggled. As she headed out into the garden, she met Letty and Vince arm wrestling on the table. "YO LETTY" she shouted into the garden. "CAN I SPEAK TO YOU FOR A MINUTE?" "TWO MINS TILL I BEAT V'S ASS MIA". Mia watched as Vince was overpowered. Before the last hijacking, he could easily have won. It had now become a ritual that every week they would have a match to see if his arm was healing. It was too, coz it was becoming harder and harder to beat him as the weeks went on. Letty laughed and got up off the table, walking towards to Mia. "What happened with Brian?" she asked, still reeling from her victory. "He's gonna check out Tyler for us. He'll let us know in a couple of days!" she said with a huge smile across her face. Letty knew she was gonna hear it whether she wanted to or not, and decided to ask first. "Well, go on. Tell me all about it" she said rolling her eyes. Mia linked arms with Letty and the two girls headed up the stairs, Mia talking a mile a minute. 


	18. A Plan Executed

Chapter 18  
  
It was Saturday night, and everyone in the Toretto household was leaving for a party at a racer's house. "You sure you don't want to come Dom. It might help to take your mind off things". Mia tried to convince Dom into coming, but he wasn't ready to face the other racers. He was too embarrassed about losing. "Nah, I'm a hang here and watch a movie" he waved his arm. "Alright" she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "C'mon Letty, lets go" she hollered up the stairs. The others were standing at the door, only Letty was left to come down. "I'm comin'" she said as she came down the stairs. Dom's jaw hit the floor, Letty looked amazing. She was wearing tight black leather trousers with red flames up either leg, and a low-cut red top. She had left her hair down and it swayed around her shoulders and face. Mia seen the look. "Sure you don't wanna come Dom" she grinned. He looked at his sister, then back at Letty. "Nah I'm sure!" "Alright lets go!" Leon shouted. They all filed out of the door and Dom followed, seeing them out. The crew made their way to the cars. Vince and Leon were goin' in Vince's car, and Mia and Letty were taking their own. Mia's was parked at the far end, as it hadn't been driven in a few weeks. Everyone else had their cars started by the time Mia got to hers. She stopped a few feet away and turned back to Dom. "What if Letty gets some unwanted attention tonight? Who's gonna stick up for her?" Mia grinned. She made Letty sound like some innocent and harmless little girl. Dom just laughed in his deep growling laugh. "I'm sure she can handle herself for one night!" he exclaimed. "If your sure then!!" As Mia turned pressing the button on her car key, disabling the alarm, her car exploded. Mia was thrown back onto the grass, and the car was propelled off the ground. It exploded again in mid-air with the fire reaching the NOS bottles. Mia didn't move.  
  
Dom lost the smile and to ran to his sister, lying motionless on the grass. Letty, Leon, and Vince jumped out of their cars the quickest they ever did and ran to her. The intense heat and flames were a few feet away, but they weren't swayed by it. "MIA! MIIAAA!" they hollered one after the other. Dom was first there, and the others were at her side almost instantly. "IS SHE BREATHING DOM?" Letty screamed. He put his ear to her mouth and felt a faint breath, then he put his finger on her throat and felt a weak pulse. He didn't answer. Instead he lifted her off the grass and carried her towards the house. Her arms swung from his quickening pace, and she still made no movement. "LEON CALL FOR AN AMBULANCE" Vince instructed. But he was beaten to it, as Leon was already dialling. Dom placed Mia on the sofa, and looked about his team. She still hadn't moved, and he was beginning to worry about his sister.  
  
"Ambulance is on its way!!" Leon told them. Moments later the wail of sirens could be heard. 


	19. Revelations

Chapter 19  
  
Dom, Letty, Leon and Vince were sitting in the corridor. Mia was in the next room. Neither of them had spoken for almost an hour. They were far to busy thinking about Mia to talk. Dom moved in his chair when the door to Mia's room was opened, and he jumped to his feet when he realized it was the Doctor. "How is she Doc? Will she be OK?" he threw questions at him. The Doctor raised his hands, telling Dom to calm down. He was obviously Mexican, but could speak decent English. "Mr. Toretto. Can I speak to you in private for a moment?" he said gravely. Dom looked back at the guys and Letty, who in turn were looking up at him. "Whatever needs to be said, can be said in front of them!" he stated seriously. The Doctor nodded. "Your sister is going to be moved up to.intensive care.you would call it". A desperate look crossed Dom's face. "Why? What's wrong? She's gonna be OK, right Doc?" his voice had started to falter. "Mia's condition is critical. When she was thrown back, she was knocked unconscious. As far as we can tell, there's no brain damage, and she's breathing on her own. She has a broken arm and two broken ribs, as well as a fractured leg." Vince saw Dom's reaction and stepped in. "That's a good sign though? Her breathing on her own?" Dom had started to pace up and down the corridor, rubbing his head with his hand. "It is, but we fear she may slip into a comma." He saw Letty gasp. "But there is a strong possibility that that might not happen. She's a fighter." He smiled as if that would console the party, but seeing it had no effect, he turned and made his way down the hall. "Dom, sit down, that pacin's pissin' me off!" Letty softly asked. "WHO THE FUCK RIGGED THE CAR?" He exploded. He had started to think of what happened. Vince and Leon looked to one another, then up at Dom. "You know as well as I do who wants us gone round here!" Vince implied. Dom just looked at him, not understanding what he meant. "TYLER, DOM. THAT'S WHO!!" Vince roared. Dom became pale and sat down next to Letty. "Why would he though? You haven't done anythin' to him, you lost to him for Christ's sake." Leon noticed that Dom wouldn't answer and replied for him. "We went to see Chris. He told us what he was doin' here." Letty cut him off. "I don't care what he's here for. Just why he blew up Mia's car." She grew quieter towards the end with it all becoming clear to her. "Tyler knew, that we knew, what he's doin here, and didn't want us narkin' him out." She said slowly, dropping her head into her hands and resting them on her knees. "Ah shit!" she swore, beginning to cry. All this time, Dom had sat staring at the wall. The memories of his conversation with Tyler came flooding back. "Tell Mia to watch her back!" he remembered. "That's what he meant!" he declared to himself. "He was gonna blow up Mia's car". He looked at the others, and decided not to tell them. A wash of guilt came over him suddenly.  
  
"I could have stopped this. Shit. It's all my fault" he swore at himself. "That prick's gonna pay for this". He sat for many minutes, thinking of what he should have done.  
  
"I should have made him tell me what he meant, instead of letting him drive away." Dom just continued to shake his head in disbelief at what he had let happen. To the person he cared most about in the world. He contemplated going after Tyler right there and then, but decided that Mia, Letty and the guys needed, and wanted him there. 


	20. He leaves for Baja

Chapter 20  
  
Three long days had passed since Mia was admitted to hospital. The Doctor had told them that she had passed the stage at which she could slip into a comma, but that she was still unconscious. Waiting on her waking up, the guys had taken turns sitting with her, whilst the others went home and freshened up, or went for something to eat. It was Dom's turn and he was sitting in a chair next to her bed holding her hand. He had been talking to her for about half an hour. "So Mia, you gonna wake up, coz my ass is sore sitting on this chair." He laughed quietly. When he got no reply he looked at the floor, disappointed again. But he stopped himself from thinking on it, looked up and smiled at her. "You know me. If it aint a racing seat, I aint comfy." He had run out of things to say to her. He had already told her that he was gonna ask Brian to come down for a while, that he wasn't gonna race anymore, and was going to look after all of them. The part about not racing wasn't strictly true though. He knew that he couldn't give up the thrill of speed, or the adrenaline rush that went hand in hand with it. But this wasn't the time or the place for it. In the end, sleep beat him and he placed his head next to her hand. A quick look at the clock on the far wall, told him it was almost midnight. Vince would be there anytime to take over, but he was gonna sleep till then. Dom rubbed her hand and fell asleep.  
  
"Dom. Dom wake up" Vince nudged him awake. Dom sat up and looked at Mia, thinking it was her that woke him. But then he noticed Vince standing behind him, and Mia's eyes were still closed. "You fell asleep man." Vince stated. "Go home and get a good sleep man. I'll watch her" he nodded towards Mia. Dom sat for a moment, waiting till he was properly awake. Finally, he moved off the chair. "OK. Is Letty and the guys at the house?" he asked as he headed for the doubled doors. "Yeah!" he told him. Suddenly they heard a groan from the bed and Dom noticed that Mia was trying to open her eyes. He rushed over to the bed, and Vince leaned over her. "Mia. C'mon girl!" they said hopefully with great excitement. Dom sat on the bed and took her hand in his. He felt her move and look at him. "Brian. That you?" she gurgled. She was groggy from the medication that had been pumped into her body. Dom and Vince looked at each other. Both shocked at the fact that her first thought had been of Brian. "Mia. Its Dom." He told her. "Vince is here too". "Hey Mia" Vince put in. She just looked from one to the other. "Dom!" she had something to say, and was fighting the drugs. "Yeah!" he said. He was so excited that Mia was awake. He saw her mouth moving, but she made no sound. "What? Say again Mia!" Mia swallowed hard and screwed up her face. "Get..Brian..for me!" she sounded scared and desperate. Her eyes closed and Dom tried to wake her again, but she was sound asleep. The guys got off the bed and stood in silence. Dom was thinking if calling Brian was the right thing to do. "She asked for him as soon as she was awake. Not for any of us. She wanted Brian" he thought to himself. That made his mind up. "Vince where's her cell phone?" he turned to Vince who had sat back down on the chair. He reached into the unit beside her bed and brought out the phone. He threw it over to Dom, and Dom caught it. "I'm going home" he told Vince. "If she wakes up, call me right away!" he demanded. "Sure." Was all that Vince replied. Dom turned and left the room. Vince knew he was gonna call Brian, and knew it was only because Mia had asked him to. He felt nervous at the thought of meeting Brian again. He wanted to hate him because he had Mia's heart, and coz he was a cop. But on the other hand, Brian had saved his life, and hadn't turned any of them in. He decided to focus on Mia right now, and deal with Brian when he was standing in front of him.  
  
Dom left the hospital and headed for Letty's car. She had left it for him to drive home, and had went home in Leon's car with him. Once he was in the car, he scrolled through Mia's phonebook in her cell, and found Brian's number. Before pressing 'Call' he looked at the number for a minute. He didn't believe he was gonna ask to Brian to come down here, but then it wasn't for him, it was for Mia. He pressed 'Call' and put the phone to his ear.  
  
Brian, Hector, Edwin, and the other guys were sittin' in Brian's apartment.  
  
"So..your gonna fit the gauges and meters, then your good to roll" asked Carl, one of Hector's guys. "Yeah, it's finished. And it only took us 5 weeks. Amazing!!" he stated for the group. They all laughed and continued to drink their Corona's. Brian had put the bottle to his mouth when his phone started to ring. He took it out of his pocket and walked into the bedroom so he could hear above the music and guys talking. As he looked at the phone, he noticed Mia's number flashing. She must want that information quick. "Yeah?" he answered in his deep voice. There was a pause on the other end and he realised that it wasn't Mia calling. She would have spoken by now. "Who is this?" he demanded to know. "Its Dom" an even deeper voice replied on the other end. Brian's face went chalk white out of shock. "Dom...jeeez." he didn't know what to say. "Eeerrmm, how you doin man?" "I don't wanna talk. I got something to tell ya!" he cut him off before he could continue. "Sure. What's up?" he asked, catching onto the fact that Dom wasn't that pleased to be talking to him. "It's Mia. You'd better get down here quick. Were at the Baja Hospital. The Intensive Care Floor". Brian didn't know what to say. The news that Mia was in hospital cut him to the core. "What happened? Is she OK?" he managed to get out between heavy breathing. "I'll tell ya later. Just get down here quick." Dom demanded. "OK. I'll be there in a couple of days." Dom ended the call. Brian stood for a few minutes, taking it all in. Suddenly he dug the phone into his pocket and headed back to the other guys. "I gotta go" he told them. He picked his keys up off the counter. Brian looked at the other 5 or 6 guys. "Can you guys go put the other parts in my car!" he tossed them the keys and the guys quickly filed out of the apartment. Brian turned to Hector and Edwin. "That was Dom" he explained. "He told me that Mia's in hospital and to get down there quick." He looked at them for their reaction. "Did he say what happened?" Edwin was just as keen to find out what happened. "Nah, only that I've to get down to the hospital. I'm leavin' now." He told them. "Sure man. Get going!" Hector encouraged. Brian, Hector, and Edwin made their way down to the garage, and met the other guys. "Parts are in the trunk mate!" they said as they tossed the keys back. "Thanks guys". He opened the door and sat in the car, not believing what he was about to do. "I hope Mia's OK" he said aloud as the engine roared to life. "Tell us about it" Carl pitched in. He looked around at the guys who gave him so much help. "Thanks again for your help. All of you" he said. "Forget it. Just bring Toretto back here with you. You both got races to win man", Hector said. Then he shut the door on Brian, and the green Mitsubishi Eclipse pulled out of the parking lot. 


	21. The Sign of Forgiveness

Chapter 21  
  
"Mia Toretto" Brian told the nurse at the reception desk. She looked at the computer on the desk. "Ah..Ci Senoir. Follow me please." She stepped out from behind the desk and led the way. As he walked down the corridors, the feeling of depression grew on him. The dusky gray walls, the thread bare, faded blue carpet, and the green chairs would have made anybody feel depressed. The nurse stopped at a set of double doors, and held out her arm. "This room here!" she informed him. Then she turned and made her way back. Although he was nervous and scared at meeting Dom and the team again, he was too worried about Mia to think about it. On the drive here it was different. As the miles had ticked by, he was constantly thinking about what had happened to her. But now he was finally here, he pushed open the heavy doors and slipped in.  
  
Nobody saw him come into the room. He was relieved at seeing Mia sitting up in bed and talking. Dom and Letty sat on one side of the bed; Vince and Leon sat on the other. "Heeyyy!" Mia squeaked as she saw Brian standing at the door. All eyes turned to him at once. He looked at each of them in turn, not knowing what to do, and then back to Mia. "Hi" he replied walking over to the bed. "How you feeling?" he asked her. He slung his hands into his pockets. "Never better" Mia said sarcastically. As Brian got closer he noticed that her arm was plastered up to above her elbow. Her foot was also raised slightly above the bed in a support. The right hand side of her face was bruised, and she had stitches above her eye. He stood at the foot of the bed. "Good to you Brian. How ya' living bro?" Letty was the first to speak to him. He smiled at her. "Good. The hijacking case is closed, and Tran was charged. But I'll tell you all about it later." There were a lot of 'What's" and "How's" from the guys hanging around the bed and Mia looked just as surprised as the others. But they knew they would hear it later. "Brian, eerrrmm thanks man, for, well you know, the truck!" It was obvious that Vince didn't thank a lot of people, coz he rubbed his head and shuffled about on his feet nervously. Brian noticed that he was trying hard here. "Forget it Vince. No problem man!" Vince smiled then laughed. He slapped Brian on the shoulder. Then he got back to the bed. "Sup Brian?" Leon spoke. Brian nodded, knowing it was Leon's way of saying hi. He nodded back. Everybody was looking to Dom. He had his hands placed on the bed railings, and was staring at the space between his arms. "Let's give them some time alone!" he hinted at the others. They all left the room and Dom was last to leave. Brian was still standing at the foot of the bed looking over his shoulder. When he didn't see Dom leaving he turned back to look at him. Dom started to walk out but stopped in front of Brian. He didn't say anything, just stood there. The two guys looked each other in the eye, and Brian knew that Dom was secretly glad to see him. After an awkward pause, Dom stepped to the side and left the room. He moved to the side of Mia's bed. "So, is anyone gonna tell me what happened here, or I'm going to have to beat someone up?" He gave her a half-smile and Mia giggled. "To tell you the truth, I don't think any of us knows what happened. I didn't remember when I woke up, but Letty told me, and it all came back after a while." She paused. Brian laughed. "And" he drew her a long desperate look. "Well, I was walking to my car, and when I disabled the alarm, ka-boom. I got knocked back from the blast. So, here I am". She waved her good arm in the air. "Does Dom know who rigged it?" "He definitely knows something. He's been too quiet and all I have to do is click my fingers and he's there. But he wont say anything." Brian looked at her. "I'll talk to him." Mia cut in sharply. "Brian..please..just don't push it. He'll talk when he's ready to" Brian looked closely at her and sat on the bed. He saw she was fighting to keep her eyes open. "You tired?" he asked her. Mia just nodded her head. "Well I'll go and let you sleep" he got up off the bed and she grabbed his arm. "Don't go. Just stay till I fall asleep. Please" she didn't want to be alone. Brian smiled then nodded. He sat back down and started to lean over her. He pushed some of her hair away from her face and kissed her gently on the forehead. She raised her head to get more out the kiss. When he pulled back, she was smiling a dazzling smile. "Get some sleep," he instructed her. She looked lovingly at him, and then closed her eyes. Brian watched her fall asleep within minutes. Then he got up and walked out, stopping to make sure she was OK, before closing the door completely.  
  
When Brian got out to the parking lot, he noticed that Letty's, Leon's, and Vice's cars were gone. "Great", he thought to himself, "how m'a gonna find their place now." As he walked to where his car was parked, he saw Dom leaning on his car, his head down. At seeing Brian, he stood up straight and uncrossed his arms. Brian continued to walk over, taking a deep breath. "Tell me what happened to Mia! Who done it?" he demanded. Dom looked surprised. "I wanna talk Brian. Let's go!" he waved Brian over to the car. "Go where?" he asked. "The house. I'll tell ya where to go". He walked round to the passenger side and stood by the door. "Well?" he pushed impatiently. Brian disabled the alarm and got into the drivers seat. Dom sat in the passenger side. Brian started the engine. "Fucking hell Brian! What d'ya do to this car" he half-yelled approvingly. "It sounds fucking great". Brian just looked at him. "So. What happened to Mia?" he asked again. Dom looked out the window. Brian could see he was thinking, that steady gaze came over his face. "Take a left up here" Brian indicated and did as he was told. He had turned into a dead end. "What is this Dom?" he sounded frustrated. "You wanna talk, and so do I. So lets talk!" They turned and looked at each. Dom started the conversation. "Did Mia tell you about Tyler?" "Yeah. She said you lost the Mazda and the Supra, and that he was some nasty piece of work!" Dom let him know what he knew. "She wasn't wrong there. It was him who rigged the bomb." "How d'ya know that Dom?" Brian looked puzzled. "I went to see this guy who told me what he was doin down here.." "Drug trafficking" Brian cut him off. Dom drew him a dirty look. "How do you know?" Dom wanted to know why Brian had looked into Tyler. "Mia asked me to. She was scared. That's why." Dom bit his bottom lip. "Anyway, I think he did it to shut me up. Incase I narked him out." "So he rigged Mia's car". Brian finished his sentence off for him. He had caught on. "Yeah, from what I hear, one of his crew was killed that way in Boston two years ago. A drug deal went down wrong I think. He's capable of it anyway, that's for sure!" Brian stated. "Letty had heard someone down on the street a couple of nights before, but we thought it was just dogs. I should've stopped this long ago" Brian thought about what Dom had just said. They sat in silence for a while. "So we better get back to the crib before Letty starts to freak out. I told her we'd only be a couple of minutes. It's been half an hour." "Yeah. Where to?" Brian asked. He started the engine and Dom laughed out loud again. Brian smiled. "Right up here. Then second on the left". Brian steered the car in the direction pointed out. "You got anywhere to sleep?" Dom asked looking over at him. Brian looked at him briefly, and then back to the road. "Nah. I went straight to the hospital. I'll get a room somewhere though!" he replied. "Don't bother. We got a spare sofa. You can use that if you like." Brian smiled inwardly. He knew this wasn't easy for Dom. If it had been under different circumstances, Dom would have him in hospital by now. But Mia had brought them all back together. "Yeah thanks. I'd like that!" Brian smiled. They drove the rest of the way home; the only words being exchanged were the directions to the house. 


	22. The Eclipse

Chapter 22  
  
Letty was hauled out of bed the next morning at 10. Dom had rushed into her room, flung back the duvet, and threw some clothes at her. She was sitting up with a seriously pissed off pace. "Hurry up Letty. You gotta check out Brian's car. It's unbelievable." He yelled out of sheer excitement. "I'll see it later Dom," she moaned. "Its too early right now!" She lay back down and pulled the covers up over her head. Dom just looked at her and didn't waste any more time trying to persuade her. She'd see what she missed later. Letty heard him thumping down the stairs and bang the front door on his way out.  
  
About half an hour later, the house shook when music started to play. She sat up again, and deciding that she wasn't gonna get any peace, she pulled on her clothes and headed out to get the guys. When she stepped out, a smile spread so far across her face that it almost snapped her face in half. "Bloody hell, Brian. Where'd you get this?" she asked walking quickly over to look over the car. "You like it?" Brian asked back. "Fucking hell I do!" she shouted. Vince and Leon were sittin in the front seats playing about with the sound system. The music blared out of eight speakers placed all around the interior of the car. "I got it back from Tanner. The guy I worked with!" he explained. "Hector and Edwin offered to help me out fixin it up, and they got their crews together. 13 of us in total." Brian was watching Vince and Leon playin around. They were like kids in a sweet shop. "You gonna show us what your runnin under there?" Dom shouted over the music, pointing to the hood. They had yet to see what the hood concealed.  
  
"Sure. Go ahead!" Brian offered. Dom ran around to the front of the car, and popped open the clips that held the hood closed. Letty stood to the side of him, and Vince and Leon were at his other side. Brian remained where he was. As it clicked open Dom yelled. "Fucking hell! How much is under here!" he asked looking over the engine and spying all of the components. "I don't know if I should tell you!" he smiled. The guys and Letty drew him a long, desperate look. He knew they wouldn't rest until they knew. Brian scrunched up his face, then looked at the floor. "120 grand". The looked at him in awe. "Where'd you find the money?" Leon spoke for them all. "Not paid for yet. Its on my tab at Harry's. I was supposed to race tomorrow night and pay some of it back, but I had to come down here." They all understood. "Well why not race down here?" Dom asked him. "Is there much to race down here?" he asked back. "Quite a bit. Not as much as in L.A. though, but a fair bit" Dom answered. Brian was considering what Mia would think of this. "Well, what about Mia?" "She'll be OK. She wont want you to hang around getting bored would she?" Letty teased him. He smiled at her. "Nah. S'pose not!" he concluded. "When's the next meet?" he turned to Dom. "Same as in L.A. Tomora night at 'The Strip'. You gonna race?" Brian looked at the sparkle in their eyes, and knew they wanted him to. "Why not! Gotta make a start somewhere I guess!" he finished off. He let them look around the car for a while. When racers and people passed them, they gave him a thumbs up, or a slap on the shoulder, as if approving. Then interrupted their conversation. They were talking about the improvements in air flow, and of how it should do a quarter mile in roughly nine seconds flat. "Guys?" his attempt failed and they didn't hear him. "Guys?" he shouted over.  
  
"Yeah?" Dom answered him. "I'm gonna go see Mia. Anyone coming?" They all looked about and finally Dom spoke. "Yeah, I'll go. Let me catch a drink first." He headed quickly into the kitchen, followed by Vince and Leon. Letty was the only one left at the car with him. "What was all that about?" he asked. "What?" she questioned back, pretending not to know what he was talking about. "Everybody shuttin up and only Dom answering!" he explained it for her. She shook her head slightly. "It was nothing. Dom told us last night that he wanted to talk to you alone today, so we thought that now was as good a time as any" she told him with an apologetic tone. Brian just looked at her. She closed the hood, and clicked the clips back into place. "What's he wanna talk about?" Brian asked her. "He didn't say." Just at that moment, the front door squeaked open and Dom ran over to them. He threw Brian a bottle of water. "Ready to go?" he asked opening the bottle. "Yep." Dom replied. He gave Letty a quick kiss and got into the car. Brian walked around to the driver's side and started the car. Dom and Letty couldn't help but gasp at the sound of the car. The doors clicked shut, and the two guys headed for the hospital, getting looks of admiration from everyone else as they passed. 


	23. The Payback Plot

Chapter 23  
  
Brian and Dom walked into the hospital side by side, and headed for Mia's room. Brian had been relatively quiet for the whole journey, waiting on Dom to speak to him, about whatever it was he wanted to talk about. But he hadn't said anything. Once they got off the elevator, they turned the corner and pushed the doors to Mia's room wide open. She was sitting up in bed, watching television. When she saw them come in she turned it off and propped herself up further. "My two favourite guys!" she exclaimed. She was looking so much brighter since last night. Brian was first to get by her side. He leant over and placed another kiss on her forehead. Dom just looked at them, not knowing that they had made up already. "How you holding up?" Brian asked pulling back. "Good. The Doctor said I'll be out in three days." He sat down on the bed. "What about your injuries?" Dom asked. "Well my leg's only fractured. I had physio this morning and I can walk on it, but the Doc says my arm will take at least a month to heal properly." "Three days it is then" Dom smiled. "So what's happening back home? Anything interesting?" she asked. "Nope." Brian replied. "The guys and Letty were too busy drooling to do anything else". Mia looked puzzled. Dom took up where Brian left off. "His cars a beast" he whispered. "Wait till you see it!" he told her. "What car? Your Eclipse?" she widened her eyes at him. "Yeah!" Brian smiled. He then told her about Tanner getting it back for him, and how Hector and Edwin had helped him to get it runnin again. An hour had passed, some of it was spent talking about the car, the rest was spent on silly little things like who they'd met here in Baja. The nurse came in. "I'm sorry, but visiting time is over!" she quickly told them. "OH, cant they stay for a little while?" Mia pleaded with her. "Sorry, but there are other patients to consider". With that Brian and Dom got up. Dom gave Mia a big hug, and Brian kissed her again. This time she pulled his face down till his lips met hers. It was a brief kiss, coz the nurse had politely "AAHHEMED" them. "See you later Mia!" the guys said their good-byes at the door.  
  
Brian was heading for the parking lot when Dom spoke. "Brian.you wanna beer?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, sure!" Brian replied. "There's a place just round the corner." Dom turned in that direction and Brian jogged to catch up with him. They walked along in silence for a couple of minutes, but finally Dom broke the silence. "I was gonna handle this myself. But your part of Mia's life, so I figured you might wanna help!" Dom told him. Brian looked at him. "What with?" he asked with a confused face. "With Tyler!" was all that he said. "Oh. Well what do you wanna do about him?" Brian knew that this was what he had wanted to talk about. Dom squinted his eyes in the sunlight, then looked at Brian. "I don't know. But whatever we do, its gotta be quick. My contact said that he has one pick up left, then he'll be moving on. He's gonna pay for what he did to Mia!" Brian didn't say anything in reply to Dom. He was thinking about something else.  
  
They had just sat down on a bench outside a café when Brian spoke. "What if I told you I could get your cars back?" Brian looked at Dom. Dom finished his swig of the bottle and sat it down next to him. "I'd say your crazy" he replied quickly. "Why? I've got and idea!" he told Dom. "Oh yeah? What's the idea?" he was becoming more and more intrigued. "I race my car against Tyler's!" he explained. Dom smiled at him. "I like where this is going", he said after a pause. "But I don't think you should." Brian looked at him with a confused expression. "You've raced him, how fast's his Evo?" Brian was keen to know if his car would be fast enough to beat. "Not fast enough to beat yours!" he pointed a finger at Brian. "How'd you know that?" Dom laughed out loud and looked up at the sky. "C'mon Brian. I only had to look at that car to know it would blow away that Evo. The parts in the car, phooar, they're hot!" he laughed at Brian. "So why don't you think I should race?" Brian pushed him. "Mia! She'd kill me if I let you race that bastard." "You think?" he smiled back at Dom. "Yeah, I do." He was quiet again for a few minutes, obviously thinking about something. "But it'd be different if you insisted on racing him." Dom smiled. "Oh, I insist!" Brian agreed. "I couldn't stop you either!" Dom sarcastically said, raising his arms in the air. "Absolutely not". Brian laughed. "We'll see how you go against other racers. Then we'll talk." That was all that was said between them. They finished their beers in silence. 


	24. Together

Chapter 24  
  
"Vince, Leon, come in here!" Dom demanded from the couch. After some groaning, the fridge door was slammed shut, and the guys came into the living room. Vince sat on the chair while Leon opted for the floor. "What's up Dom?" they asked as if in pain. "Me and Brian need your help. With Tyler" he told them. Vince and Leon put down their beers and stared at Brian and Dom. Then they looked at each other. "What with?" Leon asked, not knowing if he wanted to hear Dom's reply. "We gotta sort him out, before he tries to kill anyone else", Dom answered after a pause. He clenched his fists and softly punched them into the palm of his hands. "I know, but what can we do?" Leon stated. "You heard what Chris said, if he wants to hurt you he can!" he reminded Dom. "We should just get down there and kill the mother-fucker right now!!!" Vince screamed at the others. Dom nodded in agreement. "V, there's four of us and about six of them". Leon argued. "Make that five of us!" Everyone turned to see Letty standing in the doorway with her arms crossed over the front of her chest. "Letty! How long you been standing there?" Dom asked walking over to her. "Long enough for you to know that I'm in. I wanna punish that bastard for what he did to Mia!" She answered quickly. Dom knew by the tone of her voice, the way she narrowed her eyes, and the way she was licking her top lip, that he wasn't gonna change her mind. He nodded his approval, turned, and went back to the couch. "So what we gonna do then?" Letty brought them back to the conversation. "I think we should cause that crew some damage!" Vince persisted, his voice oozing anger. "That'll only cause some un-necessary madness and mayhem Vince" Brian said. "Man, our life ain't been nothing but madness and mayhem since you came!" Vince threw back. At that moment, Dom launched himself off the sofa, and pinned Vince against the wall. "IN CASE YOU DIDN'T NOTICE V, BRIAN SAVED YOUR LIFE REMEMBER, AND HE SAVED MY ASS!!!" he hollered at the top of his deep voice. "OK" Vince choked out. Dom released him from his grasp and stood by Brian. "Guys, let's get this sorted out!" Letty stepped in. Everyone looked at the floor, surprised at the way Dom had defended Brian. "Do we know where the pick-up is?" asked Brian. "Nah, only he knows" Leon informed him. Brian nodded his head.  
  
For the next hour, Brian, Dom, Letty, Leon and Vince sat and thought up various ways of dealing with Tyler. Brian had tried to listen to everyone but they were all talking and shouting at the same time. Finally they reached an agreement. "So were all agreed?" Dom asked looking at everyone in turn. There were nods and 'yeah's' from everyone. "OK", Brian concluded. "Tomorrow it is then!" Dom slapped his leg, got off the couch, saying nothing and made his way to the stairs. They watched him go. "Dom?" Letty asked. "Where you goin'?" Dom turned at the stairs with a big grin on his face. "Well are we gonna race or not?" he shouted excitedly back at them. Letty looked at her watch. "Shit, we've only got 15 minutes", she jumped off the sofa and raced up the stairs by Dom. He followed her up. Leon left for his room. It was only Brian and Vince left in the room, alone with an awkward silence. Vince spoke. "Brian. I'm sorry man!" "What the fuck's your problem with me? Doesn't saving your life make you trust me or somethin'?" he swore at V. "It ain't that I don't trust you Brian." Vince replied getting angry. "It's Mia. I just cant get used to seeing you two together, when all I can think is that it should've been me!" he explained. "It's tears me to bits!" "Well get used to it" Brian shouted back. "Were together and that's that." He walked out of the room. Vince rubbed his eyes and went to get ready for the night's races 


	25. Victory Revisited

Chapter 25  
  
10 minutes later and the Toretto gang, minus Mia, left the house and headed for their cars. Dom was in Brian's car with him, and everybody else drove their own. The drive down to 'The Strip' lasted a mere 5 minutes. Dom had been determined to get a place near the racing action when he moved down there. The gates were pulled open by two heavy guys wearing black t-shirts with 'SECURITY' scrawled across the front of it. "Jeez" Brian exclaimed. "Didn't think it would be so big!" He said as he looked over the crowds. "Yeah" Dom agreed. "It's not bad. Neither's the competition." Dom looked out of his window and to his relief, didn't see Tyler's cars parked where they always were. He didn't say anything to Brian though. "What's your buy-in rate?" he asked looking over to Brian. "I'm not sure. Thought about 8large, at least. What you think?" "Sounds good. No pink slips though, right?" Dom joked. Brian laughed. "Sure". Brian's car was hidden behind Leon and Vince's cars which were out front in a V-formation, with Letty coming up behind them. The crowds started to separate into two rows, each turning at the sight and sound of the team's cars. Leon and Vince slowed down and pulled to the side, allowing Brian to drive through them, and Letty filled the space between Vince and Leon. They all got out of their cars and stood out front of the Eclipse. As they walked, they heard one racer say, "Tyler kicked his ass for sure" and the others around him laughed. Another shouted directly at him, "Toretto, your not driving??" he teased. Dom stopped and looked at him. Brian saw the anger in his face and as Dom started to turn for the guy, Brian grabbed his arm. Dom looked at him and Brian shook his head. "Were here to race" he reminded him. Dom looked at the floor and leaned against the car, waiting on his friends. He saw them pushing their way through the crowds. "Dominic, dude!" he called out as he reached the team. The guy was obviously from California as he had a Californian twang and appearance. "Josh! What's up?" Dom replied as they hugged. "I got a guy willing to race at 9g. That OK with you?" Dom shrugged his shoulders. "It's not up to me. He's racing!" he nodded over in Brian's direction. "Josh meet Brian. Brian meet Josh" he introduced them. "Brian's a close friend." He told Josh. Brian and Josh shook hands. "This yours?" he asked. "Yeah!" Brian replied as they crowd looked over the car. "Pop the hood Brian!" Dom encouraged with a smile. Brian knew he was keen for the racers to see what they were up against. Brian smiled then unclipped the hood, and propped it up. "Holy shit Brian! You got one of everythin' in there I think" Josh approved.  
  
After many "Oooohhs" and "Ahhhhssss", a tall Mexican guy walked over. "Yo Josh, this the guy I'm racing?" he asked as he made his way through the people crowding around the Eclipse. Josh looked over.  
  
"Yeah Waquin. Over here" he directed. The guy stood next to Letty. "Danng baby! You want to play with my gear stick?" he drew her a turned-on look as he fiddled with his crotch area. Letty was about to say something when Dom stepped in. "The hell she does!" he hollered. Waquin turned round and saw the source of the deep voice. One look at his bulking form was enough to tell him not to mess with him. "Hey sorry man! I didn't know. My bad" he stammered. "Yeah your bad alright!" he shouted. "Stay the fuck away from her" he shoved his finger in his face. "Hey Dom" Letty interrupted. "Chill. It's not his fault he cant get any" Letty laughed in his face.  
  
"Fuck you bitch!" he shouted back at Letty. Letty lifted her arm and right- hooked him straight in the face. "JESUS.CHRIST" he swore. Letty walked over to Dom, and he hung his arm around her shoulder. "Hey hey hey?" Josh shouted. We gonna race or not?" he asked raising his hands in the air. Waquin nodded and wiped a sliver of blood away from his nose. Then he nodded. "Waquin. Your cash?" Josh asked, holding out his hand. Waquin whipped the money out of his back pocket and shoved it into Josh's hand. He turned to Brian, who also put the money in his hand.  
  
"Good, let's get this race goin' then. God!" he groaned. The crowd cheered and headed towards the strip or runway at the other end of the parkway. "Brian" Dom shouted before Brian got into his car.  
  
"Yeah?" "Smoke this guy!" Dom called. Brian gave him a thumbs-up and got into his car.  
  
Waquin drew his blue Viper up next to Brian's Eclipse. Brian quickly eyed him, then turned his attention back to the race. He reached behind him, turned the gauge on the NOS bottles, altered the settings for the Stand Alone Fuel Management System, cranked up the volume on his CD Player, the gripped the steering wheel firmly and looked at the road ahead. Josh stood in the middle of the two cars, he raised his arms, then dropped them to his side. Brian's foot hit the accelerator hard, and pushed it to the floor. He was first off the starting line and couldn't see the Viper to either the left or the right of him. Brian could feel the car accelerating all the time, and knew that this race was his to him there and then. People and buildings were smeared into streaks of colour, and continued to fly by. He was sucked back into his seat by the speed, and his arms were fighting to keep hold of the steering wheel. But the car never faltered once. It ran perfectly. Brian could fast see the finish line approaching, and there was still no sight of Waquin. "Easy money" he thought to himself.  
  
As he pulled back up to the crowds, he could hear them cheering even above the sound of his music. He took the keys out of the ignition and got out. Everyone whistled, cheered, and congratulated him. There were shouts of: "Check that car" and "Way to go" and "Fuck Me". Dom, Letty, Leon, and Vince came over. "How much easier could that have been?" Dom shouted, excitement spilling over. He hugged Brian. "Jesus Brian. That's some car" Letty put in as she went to check that no damage had been done to the engine. "Yeah, I know" he agreed with all of them. He collected the money from Josh and spent a while talking with the racers that Dom knew. But only he and the team knew the exact specification of the car. Half an hour later, he was dying for a drink and managed to pull Dom away from his conversation with another racer. "Dom, we goin'? I'm dying for a beer man!" "Yeah lets go party!" Letty shouted. Dom grinned. "Sure, party at our place" he announced to everyone. The team and the majority of racers headed for their cars, making their way to Toretto's. "Brian, I'm gonna ride with Letty" he told him. "Fine with me. Lets just get outta here". Just then this chick wearing the shortest skirt ever, and a bikini top came over to Brian. "So, am I gonna ride with you?" she asked, rubbing her hands all over him. "Sorry, but I don't think so!" he said slowly, then got into his car. Dom had watched all of this and thought to himself, "If only I could say 'no' like Brian does". When he got in, Letty was smiling at him. "What?" he grinned. "Haven't seen you this happy since you lost the cars. That's all" she explained with a shrug. "Well, that Eclipse is some very hot shit. Plus, I'll have my cars back before long" he told her. But Letty knew the real reason was that he was happy to have Brian back, and that finally, Mia was getting back to her old self. The cars pulled out of 'The Strip' in single file and headed for the party. 


	26. Dissapeared

Chapter 26  
  
Brian came downstairs and found Letty and Leon clearing up the house. "Bloody hell! Didn't think we drank that much!" Brian exclaimed as he rubbed his head and pushed his blonde hair out of his eyes. There were six bags already filled with bottles. "Yeah" Letty replied. Brian noticed something was wrong with her, and looked at Leon. He pulled his finger across his neck. "What's up Letty?" Brian asked as he walked over to her and took the bag out of her hands. She sat down on the couch taking a deep breath. "I cant find Dom. He didn't come to bed last night and I haven't seen him since midnight last night." Dom put the bag down and crossed his arms across his chest. "Don't sweat. He's probably passed out somewhere. You know how shit-faced he can get at times." Brian tried to console her. Letty just laughed doubtfully. "Yeah right Brian. He's probably fucked off with some cheap skank. I swear to God, if he has, that's it it's over" she quickly replied. Everyone knew of Dom's inability to say 'no', and Letty had put up with it for years. "C'mon Let. Don't say that. Like he said he's probably passed out on the street." Leon rubbed her shoulder and went back to picking up rubbish. She smiled at the floor, stood up and lifted the bag again. "Well. I'm gonna go get some Aspirin. My heads spinnin'. I'll have a look for Dom while I'm out. OK?" he told them. "Yeah, thanks," Said Letty. Letty and Leon went back to clearing the mess and Brian headed out the front door. "Anyone seen my keys? I left them here last night!" he asked as he looked around the counter for his keys. "Nope!" they said. "You sure their not there?" Leon asked. "I haven't seen them around anyway!" called back. Brian stopped searching and ran to the front door. The others saw him run and dropped everything to follow him. They all crashed into one another at the bottom of the stairs. They stared at the empty space between Leon and Vince's car. "Holy shit. My cars gone!" Brian shouted. "It's been stolen. Who the fuck stole my car?" he panicked. Brian ran out into the middle of the road and looked around hopelessly. "Brian, nobody could of stole it. The alarm was on. Someone must have disabled it!" Letty shouted at him. She was just as upset and confused as him. "But who the fu." Brian trailed off. It suddenly became clear to him. "Dom" he looked back at them. "Dom took my car!" he explained. Leon was confused and shook his head. "But where would he take it?" He asked. Brian covered his mouth and paused. "Leon get your keys. We'll take your car!" he ordered. Leon didn't think twice and ran into the house. A few seconds later he came galloping out the house and Letty followed him. "Where we goin' Brian. I don't understand!" Letty pleaded with him. "He's goin' after Tyler." "What?" she squealed. They climbed into the car and it screamed out of the block. "Makes sense" Leon concluded with a frown. "You know he didn't want to wait till today." Letty turned pale and she slammed her fist into the back of the passenger seat. "FUCK!" she shouted. "He was too pissed to know what he was doin'. He's gonna get himself killed!" "More to the point, if he lost control of my car, he's probably dead already!" Brian said calmly, though the fear and nervousness was evident in his voice. He didn't know what could happen if Dom lost control of all that power, or even if he lost control of it. Letty just looked down at him from the back seat, knowing it was true. "What you gonna do?" Leon asked him as he drove. Brian didn't reply, he just looked out of the window. "Brian, what you gonna do?" he persisted. Brian turned and looked at him. 


	27. No Choice

Chapter 27  
  
The yellow Sky-Line pulled up outside Tyler's house. They all jumped out of the cars and stood at the bottom of the path. Leon shouted on Tyler several times, but got no reply. The three of them started to worry. "C'mon, lets check out the back" Brian said. Letty nodded and her and Leon followed in behind Brian. He led them round the side of the house and pushed open a heavy iron gate. As they rounded the corner, they came across a large garage, with a white slide-open door. It was partially open. Brian looked around and saw no signs of life. "There's no-one here" he sighed. "Lets get back!" he told them.  
  
"You sure? Can you see anyone? Is Tyler there?" Letty was panicking now. He quickly scanned the back garden again and shook his head. "Oh God!" she wailed. "Where is he?" Brian wrapped his arms around her and turned her back to the car. Suddenly they heard the roar of a powerful engine, come from behind the garage. "That's your car Brian" Leon said with surprise. Letty straightened herself up and looked at Brian. He turned instantly and made his way to the back corner of the garage. He held his finger up to his mouth to quieten them. They crouched low to the ground. As they got closer to the garage they could hear voices, a thump, and then a deep groan. They stopped dead. "Dom!" Letty whispered. Before either Brian or Leon could stop her, she ran round the back of the garage. The two guys followed her. They found Letty standing in front of them with her hands covering her mouth, tears runnin' down her cheeks.  
  
"Well well well, what do we have here?" Tyler asked, shocked to see them come running over. "Let me see!" he continued slowly. "Letty...Leon" he pointed to each of them in turn with a crow bar. "But I don't know you" he said even more slowly, pointing to Brian. He looked over at Niko and Carlos, who in an instant were by Brian's side. He looked down to see Dom sitting on the ground. His arms were tied behind a pole and there was blood running from the side of his face. Letty ran over to him. "DOM! DOM!" she hollered. She lifted his head in her hands, and he groaned. "Dom look at me!" she demanded. He tried to open his eyes but couldn't. She checked his body and saw that dark patches stained his shirt. "What the fuck did you do to him?" she yelled at Tyler. He laughed at her. "Me. I only defended myself. This prick drove round here last night at 2am, but he was so drunk I couldn't talk to him. Hell, he could hardly talk. It was for his own good!" he laughed menacingly, swinging the crowbar around. Letty left Dom's side and tried to punch him, but was grabbed round the waist by Flaco. He lifted her off the ground.  
  
"FUCK OFF YOU BASTARD!!!" she screamed at him. Leon ran over. "GET OFF OF HER!" he shouted as he pulled Flaco off of Letty. "YO Tyler!!" Brian interrupted, taking the heat off of Letty and Leon. They ran to help Dom. "How'd YOU know ME?" he asked with surprise. "You got a reputation round here," he stated. "Is that so?" Tyler sounded happily. "That and the fact that you tried to kill my girl" he growled back. Tyler looked at the floor and walked slowly over to Brain. "That's what Dom was shouting about before. But I don't know where it's coming from!" he said as he shrugged his shoulders, and laughed. "Cut the bullshit alright" Brian shouted as he made a move for Tyler. "We know what you're here for, and we know what your movin'!" Tyler stopped in his walk and his face became serious. "Do you now?" he pushed Brian with the crowbar. He had obviously beaten Dom with it. "Yeah. That's why you rigged Mia's car. Coz' you knew that Dom knew. Right?" he asked. Tyler turned away from him. Brian looked down at Letty and Leon who were helping Dom to his feet. Each had one of his arms slung around their shoulder's. They were struggling under his weight. Brian went to help them. "Wait!" Tyler ordered. Niko and Carlos stepped in front of him, blocking his path. "What's your name?" Brian looked at him. "Brian O'Connor" he replied. "Well...Brian O'Connor. What do we do now?" he asked. "What d'ya mean?" he fired back. "Well the way I see it, you got two choices. I can either finish off Toretto. Right here, right now!" he paused. "Or?" Brian sounded, looking around nervously. "Or you can race me for that car?" he nodded back towards the car parked a few feet away from them. "I've had a look at it, and its one very quick, hot car!" "What if I don't race?" Brian asked him. Tyler clicked his fingers and Niko and Flaco produced two pistols. They knocked Letty and Leon out of the road and Dom hit the ground with a crash. They pointed the guns at his head. "DON'T" Letty screamed. Her and Leon stood helplessly at his side and looked desperately at Brian. Tyler clicked his fingers again, not looking away from Brian, and the guys cocked their guns, waiting on another click. "TYLER, FOR FUCKS SAKE DON'T. LOOK AT HIM!" she screamed again. Dom hadn't moved an inch, and the blood was beginning to pool on the concrete. Tyler raised his fingers, about to signal for them to fire. "Alright. You gotta deal." Brian shouted. "Good." He smiled. "The terms" Brian began. "I win, I get back the Mazda and Supra that Dom lost, plus your EVO!" "And if I win?" he enquired. "You win you get to keep all the cars, includin' mine. Sound good?" Brian asked. "Yeah. OK! We race next Saturday. That's my condition." Brian looked at Dom on the ground, unconscious, and nodded. With that, Tyler turned and headed to the house, followed by Niko, Carlos, and Flaco. Brian watched them leave, then went over to Dom. He knelt down and checked Dom's pulse. "He's OK, but we gotta get him outta here." He said quickly. "Brian, you sure about this race dawg?" Leon asked. Brian paused and looked at him. "I got no choice. I have to race him!!" They all helped to lift Dom off the ground. Letty and Leon supported Dom's weight, and Brian went to get his car. 


	28. On The Mend

Chapter 28  
  
Brian pulled up a few seconds after Leon, and parked his car in behind them. He got out and helped Leon to carry Dom inside, while Letty ran ahead to open the doors. They put him down on the couch and he moaned again. Vince came lazily down the stairs. "What's wrong?" he asked as he noted the way everyone rushed around. As he walked into the living room he saw Dom. "Holy Shit! What happened to him?" Letty came back. "That mother-fucker Tyler. He went at him with a fucking crowbar." She had scissors in her hand and she cut away his shirt. "What? But when? I mean Dom can handle him!" he stated. "Last night. He took Brian's car and headed over there completely shit- faced. They had him tied to a pole!" she explained. Once she had ripped his shirt away the blood gushed out a wound in his side. He had been stabbed. "Brian. Hurry up with that!" she shouted into the kitchen. Brian came running through with a basin of water and Leon carried bandages and large plasters. She washed away most of the blood and dirt from Dom's wound. The crowbar had been rammed into his side. "You wanna call a doctor or something?" Brian asked Letty. She shook her head.  
  
"Nah, he won't want that. He says they ask too many questions!" He nodded his head. "Looks kinda serious Let! I think we should call a doc." "WERE NOT CALLING A FUCKING DOCTOR." Letty screamed at Vince, without even looking at him. She was plunging towels into his side to stop the bleeding.  
  
"So where's Tyler?" Vince asked as he paced up and down the room, trying to catch up with what had happened. "Still at his place!" Leon answered. "Brian worked out a deal with him" he said as he put his hand to his mouth and eyed him firmly. "Oh yeah?" There was a pause. Leon was waiting for Brian to finish. Brian looked down a Dom, who was still lying unconscious with Letty attending his wounds. "I'm gonna race him next Saturday, that's the deal!" Brian finished. Vince half-laughed in surprise. "Your gonna what? You on a death wish or somethin'? You'll get us all killed." Vince replied. "I had no choice Vince, what was I supposed to do? Let him kill Dom, and probably us, on the spot? I did what I had to do!" Brian shouted to get his point across. "Guys enough. What's done is done. I agree with Brian. It was the only thing he could do. He's the only one who can do it. But we gotta help Dom right now!" she pleaded with them. There was silence for a moment. "Sorry Let" Vince apologized. "Yeah, sorry" Brian agreed with her. "The bleeding's slowing down now!" she told them. "Leon, hand me that plaster and bandage". Leon passed her the stuff and she covered the wound tightly. "That oughta do it for a while!" she said. Then she got up and headed into the kitchen. The guys followed her in. She took a Pepsi from the fridge and drank nearly all of it. "Well, I'm gonna check my car over. Make sure the bastards didn't touch anything!" said Brian, heading out the door. "Sure, I'm gonna have a shower. Wash the blood away" replied Letty. "We'll clear this mess up!" Vince offered, and Leon nodded his head in agreement. Everyone split up and went their different ways.  
  
About 4 'o' clock that afternoon, Letty, Leon, Vince and Brian were sitting out the back, havin a beer. They were talking about the upcoming race with Tyler. "So where are the parts to be fitted?" asked Letty. "In the trunk of my car" Brian replied. They heard a thud and looked at the back door. Dom was standing, leaning against the door frame. "Jesus Dom!" Letty shouted as she ran over to him. "What you doin' up?" He smiled broadly. "Haven't seen that in a while!" he groaned. "What?" she asked as she helped him out to the table. "You runnin' to me! I like it" he smiled. "Not funny Dom. You scared the shit outta us" she told him as he sat down next to Brian. His brow furrowed with pain. "What the hell did you think you were doin last night Dom?" Dom looked at Brian, tenderly holding his side. He looked guilty. "Ah shit! I don't know what came over me. I seen your keys sittin there, and I just went!" he explained. "Well you nearly got yourself killed. And if it hadn't been for Brian, we would have been killed too!" she went on, disappointed at his actions. Dom's face became dead straight and he looked round everyone sitting at the table. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked to no-one in particular. When he didn't get a reply, he asked again. "What have you done?" this time he directed the question at Brian. "BRIAN?" he said again raising his voice. "The only thing I could've done Dom. You left me with no other choice!" he eyed Dom seriously. Dom knew what he meant. "Oh shit Brian. You didn't." Brian just kept his eyes locked on Dom's. "FUCK!" he swore. He grabbed his side again and punched his fist on the table. "You OK dawg?" Leon asked, noticing the pain he was in. "Yeah. Yeah. I'll be fine." He said grimly. There was an awkward silence. "So when is it? When's the race?" he asked. "Next Saturday!" Brian replied. Dom didn't say anything. He just looked from one to the other. For a minute, Letty thought he was going to erupt and start shouting at everyone. "So what's to be fitted to the car then?" he asked in a defeated tone. He knew that there was no way to change what had been done. Everyone let out a sigh of relief. Brian smiled. "Eeermm. Just some meters and gauges I think" he said as he rubbed his head. Dom nodded his head. "We'll get that sorted nearer the time!" he told them. "Sure!" Brian agreed. Suddenly, Dom's eyes widened. "Oh God! I completely forgot. Mia's home tomorrow!" he struggled to his feet and turned as if making his way back to the house. "Yo Dom. Relax man. It's all been taken care of!" Vince shouted after him. Dom turned. "Huh?" he asked. Not sure if he heard right. "Just chill" Leon smiled at him. "Brian phoned earlier to make sure everything's OK. Right Brian?" he turned to Brian. He smiled back. "Yep. I'm picking her up at half three tomorrow!" Dom laughed and coughed at the same time with relief. "Alright. Thanks guys!" He turned and headed back to the house again. "I'm goin' to bed. Didn't get much sleep last night." He said with his back to the crew. "You comin Let?" he asked. She grinned at Leon, Vince, and Brian.  
  
"Hell yeah!" she said as she jumped up and ran to catch him. Once she caught him, she wrapped her arm round his waist and he lifted his arm and put it round her shoulder. He leant over and kissed her roughly. They held that kiss as they walked, but Dom's grimace under the pain, forced him to pull back. "Aaaawww damn!" he swore, clutching his side. Letty looked up at him. "This mean I'm gonna have to be gentle?" she asked. "I might be able to bear it!" he said. That was the last that the three guys heard, coz they moved quickly into the house and slammed the door behind them. 


	29. Desire Breaks Through

Chapter 29  
  
Brian jogged into the hospital that morning. He was brimming with excitement at bringing Mia home. He took the elevator to the ward she had been moved too a few days ago. In anticipation he tapped his foot on the floor and played with his hands. The elevator beeped on its arrival at Ward 4, and Brian squeezed out of the doors before they were even open. Calming himself down he walked into reception. "I'm here to pick up Mia Toretto," he told the nurse. She smiled broadly. "Right this way", she led Brian into the room and left when he was inside. Mia was throwing her clothes and belongings into a bag. When she heard the doors close she looked up. Brian stood at the doors. "Hey, you ready to go?" he asked. She just grinned at him. "Am I ever!" she replied. "Can you hand me that photo?" she pointed to a photo that was just to the side of him. He picked it up and looked at it. It was a picture of the old team. Dom was huggin' Letty round the waist, and Mia was sittin' between Dom and Vince. Leon was standing to the side of Vince and Jesse was squatting in front of them all. They were all standing around the red Mazda. He handed it to Mia and she looked at it too. She quietly laughed.  
  
"Seems like years ago!" she said. Brian lowered his head. "Yeah, I know!" he agreed. Then she carefully placed the photo on top of her clothes. She zipped it up and Brian looked at her. "Let's get outta here," she half shouted. Brian took the bag off her and held the door open for her. At the reception area, she signed the discharge sheets. "Thanks for looking after me Anna" Mia gave the nurse a hug. "See you Mia. Take care" the nurse said as the couple headed for the elevator.  
  
They got out to the parking lot and Mia looked around. "So where's this car then?" she asked. "Over here!" Brian told her. He led her to where the Eclipse was parked. "It looks great Brian. You did a great job here" she complimented him. She looked over the car for a few minutes then got into the passenger seat. Brian started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. A few miles along the main road, Mia turned to Brian. "Where's Dom and everybody else?" she asked with a puzzled face. "I thought they would be here as well?" "Eerrmm!" Brian was thinking of an excuse. "He couldn't make it!" he said slowly. He wanted to keep the party a surprise. "Huh? Why?" Mia asked, even more confused than before. "He had things to take care of! So I volunteered!" he looked over at her briefly before turning back to the road. "Why, you disappointed it was me?" he smiled. Mia laughed out loud. "No. Course not." Brian's hand was on the gear stick, and she placed her hand on top of his and rubbed it softly. He looked at her, and she returned the look. "I'll see him when I get home then!" she said quietly. She was glad of the time she had with Brian, when no one else was around. "So where you stayin'?" Mia asked, eager to know where she could find him. "Your place actually!" he stated proudly. She widened her eyes and looked shocked. "How'd you manage to swing that one?" He shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't! Dom offered" he said with a straight face. Mia noticed the look. "So what's wrong then? Something tells me your not very pleased!" He jumped in straight after. "Nah, it's not that. Believe me I'm happy to be there. I am. It's just that nothing's like what I expected to be. Ya' know?" Mia said nothing but shook her head. He sighed heavily. "Well.." he paused. "I expected Dom to beat the shit outta me, and Vince to throw me out. But instead, I get a place to stay and a 'thanks'. I don't know where I stand with them!" he explained to her. Mia looked at him for a couple of seconds then looked out her window. "Damn girl, just say it!" she told herself. "Its because of me. That's why they're OK with it" Mia said, whilst looking out of the window. Brian looked at her, not understanding what she meant. "What d'ya mean?" he asked her. She paused, and didn't reply. "Mia!" Brian asked. He got no reply again, and he pulled the car over to the side of the road. Once it was completely stopped, he turned in his seat to face Mia. He brushed a strand of loose hair out of her face, and then she turned to meet him. He saw she was holding something back. "You can tell me" he comforted her. She took a deep breath. "When Dom found out that I called you, he went mad. We had a big argument and I told him..." she trailed off. Brian looked at her intently, urging her to finish. "And you told him.." he pushed. She looked away again. "I told him" she said slowly, "that I needed you." Brian laughed quietly. "You gotta understand Brian, I was alone down here!" she explained. "Dom had Letty, and Vince and Leon were always hangin' around together. I felt like I had no-one, plus I was in a mess over YOU" she laughed eventually. Mia leaned over and kissed Brian softly on the lips. He returned the kiss and soon it was full on. Their hands found their way all over each other's bodies. It would have gone further if it hadn't been for someone driving by, laying on their horn. Both Brian and Mia pulled back and sorted themselves, before Brian started the car and drove the rest of the way home. 


	30. Suprises and Lustfulness

Chapter 30  
  
It was only a 10minute drive from where they had stopped, till they were back at the house. Mia was first out and eagerly looked around for signs of life. Nothing. Not even the roar of an engine. She lifted her arms and slammed them against her sides. "Jeez, where is everybody?" she asked. Brian looked the house over. "Don't look at me. Maybe they went for some beer or something!" She sighed her disappointment. "Look, lets just go inside. I don't think they'll be long" she looked around again and nodded in agreement with Brian. "OK". Brian lifted her bag from the back of the car and followed her in. He couldn't help but smile all the way in. The house was in near darkness when they got in. Everything was silent. "What's going on in here?" she shouted. Brian shrugged is shoulders. "SURPRISE!!!!" The lights came on and a room full of people jumped out from hiding. Mia jumped in shock. "OH MY GOD!!" she shouted with delight, cupping her hands over her mouth. Letty, Leon, and Vince made their way over and hugged her tightly. Looking around she saw banners hung from the ceiling saying, 'Welcome Back' and balloons were tied up everywhere. She turned to Brian. "Did you know about this?" He shrugged his shoulders again. "I had no idea!" he said sarcastically. She laughed at him, and walked over to Dom, who was standing at the stairs. "You did this?" she asked him. He smiled and nodded. "We all did." She wrapped her arms around him. "Ooowww!" he moaned as he pushed away from his sister and guarded his side. She looked him up and down with a confused expression. "What's wrong Dom?" she asked. He tried to hide his pain with a smile. "Nothing, I'm all right!" he replied. She was about to ask again when Vince picked her up. "C'mon girl. We've got some serious partyin' to do tonight!" he shouted. She looked back at Dom, wanting to find out what was wrong with him, but was interrupted by all these people gathering round her. The music blared out of speakers all around the house. People began dancing, the drink was passed around, and Mia forgot about everything that had happened, and enjoyed herself.  
  
Eight hours later, and the house was still full of people dancing and drinking. Dom and Letty had 'disappeared' an hour ago. Vince and Leon had found themselves a couple of girls who were drooling all over them. Mia was talkin' to a girl that she'd met when she moved down there. She was getting' tired and looked around for Brian. He was sittin' on the couch talking to a couple of guys. She said goodbye to the girl, and headed over to him. Mia leaned over the back of the couch and wrapped her arms around his neck. He leaned his neck back and smiled at her. "You getting' tired?" he asked her. "Yeah" she replied, "Wanna go upstairs? It's quieter up there!" "Let's go!" he whispered. He got up off the couch and Mia took his hand in hers. She led him upstairs. Brian closed the door behind him. Mia sat down on the bed, and he sat next to her. She moved closer and ran her hand through his hair. She leaned in closer and kissed him. Whilst moving her hands down to the bottom of his shirt, she felt her hands run smoothly over his chest. She lifted it over his head slowly, and threw it to the side. Brian ran his hand down her back and undid the ties that held her backless top in place. It fell on the bed. She kissed him harder, their tongues duelling each other. Then she unfastened his jeans and pulled them down. He gently pushed her down into the bed and lay on top of her. Mia grabbed his back firmly, then reached behind her back and pulled off her bra, pressing her body into his. Brian left her mouth and moved his way down her body, caressing her neck, her breasts and her stomach. She groaned with pleasure as she arched her back. He took off her belt and pulled her denim skirt off, tossing it gently to the floor. He ran his hands up her legs and moved back up to kiss her softly on the forehead. The played with each other well into the night, having the best sex in their lives, before rolling over and falling to sleep at 3am in the morning. 


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31  
  
It wasn't till half twelve the following morning, that Brian came downstairs, after waking up to find Mia gone. He found her at the sink. "Morning" he half groaned as he walked over and hugged her round the waist. He was wearing his jeans but nothing else. "So that's where my shirt went!" he laughed as he noticed that she was wearing his over-sized shirt. She turned in his arms, and wrapped her arms around Brian's neck.  
  
"Yeah," she spoke through a grin. She gave him a quick kiss, then went back to washing dishes. Brian walked away from her and looked about the house. "Where is everybody?" he shouted back into the kitchen. "They left about an hour ago. We used up all the food last night. They went to get some more at the market" he heard her yell back. All the balloons and banners were gone. He knew that the others had cleared up the mess earlier in the morning. He retuned to the kitchen and started to help Mia finish off the washing up.  
  
It wasn't long until the roar of engines interrupted Mia and Brian's conversation. They heard doors bang shut, and Dom walked into the kitchen carrying brown bags filled with groceries. He stopped dead at the doorway, surprised to see Mia standing in Brian's big t-shirt, and Brian standing with only his jeans on. He was about to say something when Letty walked into him. She turned round and saw he reason why he's stopped.  
  
"Ohhh.Damn..Erm sorry guys. I didn't know!" she struggled to say through a menacing smile. Mia blushed at having her brother, Vince, and Leon looking at her when she was half naked. "It's aigt. I was just going to get changed anyway.." she smiled guiltily at Brian and rushed past the others up the stairs. Brian coughed and looked at everybody. Vince, Letty, and Leon were trying to hide their smiles behind their bags, and Brian would've laughed out loud, if it hadn't been for the look on Dom's face. It was a look somewhere in between anger and frustration. The others put their bags down and went out into the garden, knowing it better to leave them alone. Dom watched them go, then put his bags down on the counter next to Brian. Brian leaned on the counter and Dom stood next to him. Brian made the first move. "Sorry Dom. Didn't expect you home as early!" he tried to explain. "Let me clear a few things up here, OK Brian?" he cut in. Brian nodded. "Sure!" Dom took a deep breath and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm gettin' used to havin' you around again," he began, eyeing Brian fiercely. "But understand this! You mess with Mia, or any of us, the way you messed with us before, and I swear to God I'll kill ya!" he said pushing his hand in Brian's face. Brian pulled back out of fear that the hand would turn into a fist. But Dom pulled his hand back.  
  
"Dom! It aint gonna happen. I promise ya!" he confronted Dom. "I aint a cop. I'm just like you, I broke the law!" he shouted back. He was furious that Dom believed he would hurt Mia like that again. Dom and Brian stared at each other. Mia was halfway down the stairs when she'd heard them arguing. She paused just outside the kitchen, waiting to hear what was going on. There was silence. She was just about to go in when she heard Dom speak. She froze. "Your nothing like me!" Dom pointed out in a calm and controlled voice. "But I hear what your sayin'! You aint a cop! You saved my ass twice, so I owe ya!" Brian considered what he had said. Mia was still standing outside, getting more nervous by the minute. "Nah. Were even." He corrected Dom. He held out his hand and waited for Dom to take it. Finally Dom shook his hand. "So you told Mia yet?" he asked Brian. Mia's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Not yet. I don't know how!" "Tell Mia what?" she asked as she stepped out from behind the door. Brian and Dom looked at her then at each other. "I'll leave you to it!" Dom directed at Brian, and went outside to get the others. 


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32  
  
Dom, Letty, Vince, and Leon came back into the house an hour later. Each hoping that it had been enough time for Brian to explain to Mia about Tyler and Dom, and about the race. They found the pair sitting on the couch in the living room. Mia was sitting with her arms on her knees, her face buried in her hands. Brian had his hand on her shoulder and pulled her into him. They heard the guys come into the room and turned round to the see them. Mia's eyes and cheeks were red. She'd been crying. "How could you Dom?" she questioned her brother. "How could you?" she asked again as she turned back around. Dom slowly put his hands into the pockets of his jeans and took a deep breath. When he didn't say anything, Mia stood up and strode over to him. Confronted by her, Dom replied. "I had to Mia!" he tried to explain. "I've had enough of his shit. He tried to kill you! It pushed me over the edge." Seeing he wasn't getting through to her, he looked down at the floor. "You wouldn't understand!" he almost whispered. "NO DOM, NO!" she shouted in his face. "I do understand. Your pride almost got you killed. Now you've pulled Brian into it as well!" she began crying, as she pointed back at Brian. The others just stood silent, not wanting to get involved. "You've gave him the responsibility of it all now. It had nothing to do with him" she shouted. The tears came faster and in her frustration she started to punch furiously at Dom's chest. He was thrown back slightly. Her punches were sore, but nowhere near strong enough to hurt him. Letty and Vince tried to step in to stop her, but couldn't get past Dom who was blocking their path. Brian grabbed her by the waist, but still he fought. Dom grabbed her fists to stop her and she fought against him with all her strength. Finally, her anger subsided, and she fell to the floor sobbing uncontrollably. Dom stood over her catching his breath, while Brian lifted her up and carried her upstairs. Letty, Leon, and Vince stood silently, all looking at Dom. He turned around and caught Letty's eyes. They could tell he was seriously upset. "Give me your keys Let!" he ordered. Letty slowly pulled the keys from her leather trousers and placed them gently in the palm of his outstretched hand. "You want me to come with you?" she asked as he closed his hand around the keys. "Nah, I'll be OK. I just wanna drive for a while." He walked past them and headed out the front door. The three of them stood looking at the door as it closed shut, and once they heard the car pull away with a squeal of tires, they each went to different parts of the house.  
  
When Mia woke up, she found Dom sitting on the chair next to her bed. He was giving her a soft yet guilty look. She rolled over to look at him directly. They looked into each others eyes for a moment, each as lovingly as the other. Dom broke the silence. "Mia, I'm sorry babe. I shouldn't have been so bloody stupid!" he cursed himself. Mia shook her head. "No. I'm the one that should be sorry. I lost my temper and took my rage out on you. I was wrong." He leaned over and ran his hand gently down her face. Knowing that they could spend all night blaming themselves, he spoke up. "Tell you what!" he said with a half-smile. "Why don't we just forget the whole thing? Concentrate on winning that race. Huh?" he offered. Mia laughed. "That's all you think about aint it? Racing?" He nodded his head. "With stakes as big as these, you don't have a choice." He told her, losing the smile.  
  
"You think Brian will be OK?" she asked with fear in her voice. Dom sat back in his chair and Mia sat up, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I think so. But I was thinking we should head down to the Strip tonight and get some wins behind us. Sound good?" "Yeah" Mia nodded her head. Dom stood and walked over to the door. "Well I'll go tell the others. Tell em to get ready". "Yeah, I'll get ready too!" she replied heading into the bathroom. Dom left her bedroom and went down the stairs into the living room. Letty and Leon were sprawled out on the floor playing the Playstation, and Brian and Vince were goin through some car magazines. "OK guys" he shouted to get their attention. Brian and Vince looked over at him, and Letty gave a 'S'up' to let him know she was listening. Leon was losing, and she wasn't stopping the game. "Races start in half-an-hour. What d'ya say we get down there and make some money?" he asked them all. Letty dropped the controller and jumped up. "I'm gonna go get ready!" she told them, running past them all. Dom watched her go and turned back to the others. "Hell yeah!" Brian said throwing the magazine into Vince's lap and standing up. Leon switched the Playstation off and stood up with a "Let's go!" The three guys who were standing looked down at Vince who was still sitting on the couch. "You up for it Vince?" Dom asked. Vince closed the magazine and slowly stood. "Sure" he said with little enthusiasm. The guys went to get things ready. Leon and Vince went to check the cars, and Dom looked out money for bettin'. Brian went with him. "What's up with Vince?" he asked, knowing something was wrong. Dom paused before answering. He pulled up the floorboard where the teams last stash of money was hidden. "His arm." He explained. "I mean he can use it all right, and he can drive. But I don't know if he'll run the quarter mile again!" Brian nodded, understanding. Dom threw the money up and caught it again. "That's the last of it" he said showing Brian the money. "We gotta win tonight!" he said, making sure that Brian understood the situation. 


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33  
  
The nights racing went perfectly. Brian ran in four races. He made $20,000 and only bet 4 large in each race. Needless to say, the team were more than pleased with the outcome. They didn't get back home till 2am, having decided to go to a party at a racer's house. They were all sitting in the living room, with glasses of vodka and tequila. "Bloody hell Brian!" Letty sighed. "Still can't get away with that car. And to think Dom's Mazda beat it" she smiled, softly digging her elbow into Dom's good side. Brian finished his glass and sat it on the table. "Yeah, it's pretty fast!" he agreed. "Pretty fast!" Letty squeaked. "Christ it beat every car worth racing tonight. What's wrong with you man?" she asked with a touch of sarcasm, before downing the rest of her vodka. Brian shrugged his shoulders and looked at her. "We'll we wont know how fast it really is till I go up against Tyler!" he pointed out. Letty was sitting on Dom's knee, and he turned her round so that she was sitting across his lap. "I don't think you'll have much of a problem there!" Dom stepped in. "Don't take me wrong, that Evo is fast. But shit Brian. That car's faster." He roared whilst laughing. At that point, Leon slammed his glass on the table and stood up, nearly falling back down. "Shit Leon. Your wrecked!" Vince laughed. Leon gave him a thumbs up. "Yeah I know!" he slurred. "I'm gonna sleep it off. Aight?" he said as he made his way to his room. They watched him stumble against the door frame and then fall into his room. They all laughed as he slammed the door shut. It had been a while since he had had such a good time. Jesse's death hit him hard. They had grown up together. Vince got up as well. "Think I'll go see if Jade needs any company!" he told the team as he poured another small glass of tequila and downed it quickly. "Yeah V!" Mia replied. "Go show her a good time" she smiled. She had felt so happy for Vince when he had met a girl down here. It meant she didn't have to feel so guilty that she didn't have the same feeling's for him, as he had for her. He left the house and walked down the street. Jade only lived a couple of blocks away. It was only Brian and Mia, and Dom and Letty left in the room now. Mia was sitting on the couch, and Brian was sitting on the floor between her legs. She leaned forward and rested her head on his shoulder. "You still wanna race Tyler?" she asked, hoping he had changed his mind. Brian took a deep breath. "I have to Mia. There's no other way! It's gotta stop NOW!" he answered. Dom and Letty were listening and sat in silence. Mia gently nodded her head and kissed his neck, before sitting back in the couch. Dom saw the moment and slapped Letty's thigh hard. "OOOWWWW" she screamed as she rubbed her leg. She got off his lap and threw pillows at him. Dom leapt up, punching the pillows away, and grabbed Letty around the legs. He picked her up with ease and tossed her over his shoulder. She squealed with delight but started to gently punch his back as he slapped her ass. Brian and Mia both laughed out loud. "God get a room!" Mia smiled as she threw a pillow at them. Dom paused and looked around. "Sounds like a good idea to me! What about you Let?" he asked her. She stopped her punching and smiled menacingly at Brian and Mia. "Not bad. I'm shattered. I'm sure I'll fall asleep straight-away!" she teased knowing what Dom had planned. "Yeah right!" he laughed knowing her games. "See ya later" he said to both Mia and Brian. He walked out of the room, and put Letty down at the bottom of the stairs. She walked up front of him, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. A couple of minutes later, Brian and Mia heard Letty squeal, and they laughed. "Doesn't take them long does it?" Mia asked, not needing an answer. Brian was sitting next to her, and she turned to face him.  
  
"What d'ya say we go upstairs and have a little 'R n R' ourselves?" Brian asked, playing with the tassels on her jeans. She looked down, then back at Brian. "I think we're OK here!" she said slowly moving towards him. He didn't move but she pushed him down on the couch. Mia moved to lie on top of him. She kissed his lips delicately and then brought her face up to look at him. She paused and smiled down at him. "What's wrong?" Brain asked, not understanding why she had stopped. "Nothing. It's just that this is the first time I've had sex on a couch!" they laughed. Brian pulled her down and they began again. Soon, their hands were exploring the others bodies, tongues were fighting to dominate the other, and soon enough, both Letty and Mia could be heard all around the house. Leon stirred in his sleep. He had been woken by the noise. "FUCKING' HELL." He screamed out loud. "SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO SLEEP HERE!" Neither couple paid any attention to him. Hearing that they weren't listening, he pulled the covers over his head. 


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34  
  
For that night at least, everyone forgot the looming race. It was now Thursday afternoon. The race was on Saturday. The whole crew were sitting out the back. The girls were sunbathing, and the guys wore their jeans only. They were talking about the way the Eclipse was running. "Is the NOS feed OK?" Vince asked. "Yeah, that's fine. But I feel like it pulls to the side. Like it's not running straight!" he replied. "Maybe the alignment's off centre" Leon put in. Dom saw the moment and grabbed it. "Only one way to find out!" He shouted. Brian knew where this was heading. "And that would be?" he laughed. Dom pouted his lips, and shrugged his shoulders at the same time. "For me to drive it. Everyone knows I can spot miss-alignment a mile off!" Vince, Leon, and Brian all laughed at the same time. "Is that so?" Brian asked. "It's a fact!" Dom answered. "Right guys?" he asked, raising his hands for Vince and Leon to back him up. They both laughed. "Yeah. For sure!" they tried to sound as convincing as possible, but Brian knew what they were up to. "Look, if you wanna drive the car, just say it man!" Brian knew that Dom was making lame excuses to drive it. Dom laughed. "Me! Drive it! Nah!" he sniggered. "Just wanna help ya out!" he exclaimed. Brian gave him a slap on the shoulder, then got up off the grass. "OK Dom. Can you drive my car to see if the alignment's off?" he offered Dom a way out. "Why sure! No problem". He got up to and Vince and Leon followed him, wanting to see how Dom handled it. "Dom you betta be careful. You were pissed the last time you drove it. All that power could go to your head now your sober man!" Vince poked fun at him. "Funny Vince. Real funny!" he retorted. The four guys headed round to the front of the house. "Brian could you do us a favour?" Leon asked. "Sure. What favour?" "Can we drive it too?" he slapped Brian on the arm. Brian laughed at him. "Sure Leon! Sure!"  
  
Letty and Mia were lying on beach towels, soaking up the sun. Letty rolled onto her side and looked over at Mia. "So I take it you and Brian are getting along then. If the noises you were making last night were anything to go by." Mia sqidged up her face. "You and Dom made your fair share of noises too girl! Don't get up on me about it" The girls both laughed. "Yeah we're great!" Mia said, with the slightest of smiles. Letty sat up straight and crossed her legs, fixing the straps on her top. "Doesn't sound like it!" she said. "What's up?" Letty knew that Mia was holding something back. "Nothing. It'll be fine!" Mia said, sitting up and letting her hair fall down. She ran her hands through it several times, before pulling on one of Brian's shirts. "Mia c'mon." Letty pleaded. "I know something's wrong. You've said three words today. An' that aint like you!" she half-laughed. Mia looked at Letty and tears began falling down her cheeks. Letty moved over to her and gave her a hug. "Hey hey hey!" she comforted her. "C'mon girl. What's up with you? Is it Brian? Has he done something? Coz if he has, I'll kick his ass for it." Letty was trying hard. She felt Mia shake her head against her shoulders, and knew it wasn't Brian that had upset her. "Well what is it then?" Mia pulled away from her and wiped her eyes on the towel. "I don't know. I'm not sure!" she said, trying to get her tears under control. "What d'ya mean your not sure?" Letty asked her. Mia paused to catch her breath. "I'm four days late!" At first Letty didn't understand her, but eventually she clicked on. She widened her eyes. "Y..Y.Your..Your pregnant?" Letty stuttered. Mia just nodded her head. Letty let out a deep breath and rummaged her hands through her hair, taking in what she had just said. "Jesus. You been to the Doctor's yet? Just to make sure?" "I made an appointment yesterday. It's today"  
  
"TODAY! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Letty half-yelled in shock. Mia looked at her. "I wasn't going to tell anyone until I knew for sure" she answered, getting up and wrapping the towel around her waist. Letty left her towel and walked with Mia over to the table. They sat down and looked around, neither knowing what to say. "So, what? Your not happy about it?" Letty questioned her. She knew that Mia had always loved, and wanted kids, and she knew that Mia loved Brian more than anything. Mia jumped in. "I couldn't be happier Let" she replied, grinning broadly, while rubbing her stomach gently. Letty was more confused than before. "So why you so upset then?" she was determined to make some sense of it all. Mia started crying again. "It's Brian. What if something happens to him when he races Tyler? What if he crashes the car, or Tyler runs him off the road, or if Tyler tries to kill him the way he did me?" Mia was talking faster and faster the whole time. She was panicking and her face had started to go red because she wasn't breathing. Letty leaned forward and grabbed Mia's flailing arms. "Mia.Mia. Calm down Mia!" she hollered to get her attention. Mia looked back at her, and took a few deep breaths. "Look. Your getting way ahead of yourself here. I'll come with you to the Doctors and then we'll know for sure. OK?" She nodded her head. "OK. What times your appointment?" Mia looked at her watch. "In an hour and a half!" she replied, looking nervous. "That gives us plenty of time. We'll go get ready, and I'll drive us down to the clinic. Sound OK to you?" she asked, eyeing Mia seriously. "Yeah. Sure!" 


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35  
  
The Doctor had called Mia into her office 15 minutes ago. Letty was sitting in the waiting room. She had read every poster, magazine, and leaflet in the place, and started to twitch her leg and play with her hands in anticipation. She lowered her head into her hands, when she heard the click of the door opening. Letty looked up, and saw Mia come out of the room, a smile a mile wide spread across her face. Letty jumped up and ran over to her. "Thanks very much Dr. Zaro" she said as she shook hands with the tall, red haired woman. The Doctor closed the door behind her and Letty raised her hands. "Well?" she asked. Mia smiled and nodded her head. Letty squealed and threw her arms around her neck. "Awwww congratulations girl" she squealed. "Thanks" Mia replied. She was just as excited as Letty. Letty stepped out of the embrace and lifted her jacket. "C'mon. Let's get outta here!" Mia linked arms with Letty and the pair laughed as they half-walked, half-ran out of the clinic.  
  
"So, you gonna tell the guys when you get back?" Letty asked, as she changed from fourth to fifth gear. The car hummed it's approval, and she turned off her CD player to talk to Mia. "No. I don't want them to know!" she snapped at Letty. The smile had disappeared from her face, and her face had changed to that of fear and panic. Letty narrowed her eyes at Mia, not understanding the sudden change in her mood. "Jeez. Back down. What's got you so uptight?" she spoke back with concern. Mia rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Let. I just don't want the guys to know. Not even Brian" she apologised. "Why? What d'ya think they'll do?" Mia didn't reply. She just looked straight ahead at the road. "They'll be just as excited and happy for you and Brian as we are. You know that!" "Yeah I know. But." Mia trailed off. "But what?" Letty asked. They were only a few blocks away from the house. "But they've gotta keep their minds on this race on Saturday. They don't need any more distractions right now!" Letty turned the corner into their block. They saw all four guys bent over the hood of the Eclipse. "You sure about this?" Letty asked as she parked the car. Brian walked over to the car, and waited for Mia to get out. The others had stopped their work and turned around to see the girls. The car had stopped and Brian bent down and looked in the window, keen to see what was going on. "Im 100% sure." Mia assured her. "But" Letty interrupted. "Just don't say anything Let. I'll tell them when I'm good and ready OK!!" she raised her voice. Letty raised her hands in agreement. Mia drew her a look and got out the car. "Hey babe. Where'd you get to?" Brian asked as he kissed her on the cheek. "Just went for a drive with Letty." She replied, not returning the kiss and walking straight past him. "I'm gonna take a shower" she told him as she jogged up the steps and into the house. Brian looked at Letty, who just looked away and went to get Dom. He walked behind her, wondering what was wrong with Mia. Letty didn't say anything to the guys, who were looking at her to tell them what was wrong with Mia. She leant over the car and looked around. "You tuned her up huh?" Letty noticed straight away. Dom straightened her up and turned her to look at him. "Yeah. What's up with Mia?" he asked her. Letty shook her head, and looked away from him. "Nothing. She's fine!" she lied. "Don't pull that shit Letty. I know when your lying coz u hardly look at me" he told her. "So what's up?" Dom asked again. "I told you. Nothing!" she barked at him. "Letty, just tell me" Brian snapped back at her. He wanted to know what was wrong with his girl. "We had an argument. That's all!" she covered for Mia, liked she'd asked. "What about?" Brian asked, wanting to know more. Letty paused, thinking of something to say. "What about?" Brian asked again, pushing her to spill. "About the race!" she blurted out. "She just doesn't want you to race. I told her that you'd be OK, but you know how she worries" she looked from the Brian to Dom, then went back to the engine. "Shit!" Brian swore. He looked at Vince and Leon who didn't say anything, then at Dom. Dom wiped the oil from his hands on an old rag. "You better go talk to her!" Dom said. Brian looked at him and nodded his head. "Yeah. You manage to fit those gauges without me?" he smiled. "Somehow, with all my years of workin' cars and owning a garage, I think we'll manage!" Dom assured him. "Sure!" "You go sort out ma sister!" He nodded in the direction of the house. 


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36  
  
Mia wrapped the long towel around her and tied it in place. When she came out of the bathroom, Brian was leaning against the window with his arms crossed across his chest. She was brushing her hair and stopped when she saw him. She threw the brush onto the bed and looked over at him. "Hi" she said after a long pause. She knew this was going to be an awkward conversation. "Hi" he replied, not moving and inch. She stood next to him, side by side. "You forgive me?" she asked quietly. "For what?" Brian asked as he turned his head to look at her. "For being so shitty with ya back there!" He dropped his eyes to the floor and nodded his head. "It's OK. I understand" he said as he turned and stood in front of her. He wrapped his arms around her and clasped his hands together behind her back. "How?" she asked as she placed her hands on his chest. "Letty told me about what had happened with you two" he explained. She dropped her arms and turned pale. "She what?" Mia snapped. "What did she tell you?" "That you were upset 'bout the race, and you had an argument!" He confessed. He softly shook his head from side to side, confusion setting in. "Why? What's wrong? You not telling' me somethin' here?" he threw questions at her from every angle. Mia sighed deeply and dropped her chin to meet her chest. "Mia what's up?" Brian asked, getting frustrated. He didn't understand why she'd gotten so worked up about what Letty had told him. "Miiaa!" he pleaded her to tell him. She looked back up at him. "No, everything's OK" she half-laughed with relief. "So why the panic?" he confronted her. She paused. "Just..I didn't want you to think I didn't believe in you. That's all." She made up an excuse and kissed him gently. "Now, I'm gonna get ready. So get outta here!" she pushed him towards the door and kissed him before pushing him out. Brian stopped the door from closing with his foot. "Don't I get to see what's under that towel?" he teased as he nodded towards the white towel, covering her naked body. "Maybe later. GO!" she ordered, firmly closing the door behind him. Once he was gone, she took off the towel and finished drying off. She stood at the foot of the bed, and looked down at her naked body. She thought of how her perfectly flat and toned stomach, would be swollen out like a whale. The thought was interrupted by Dom announcing that dinner was ready. "Take-away again" she thought to herself.  
  
Brian had noticed that something was wrong with Mia that night. She barely spoke, and her and Letty kept on looking at each other without saying anything. But he kept quiet about it. He decided that Mia would tell him about it when she was ready. Everyone had gone to bed early that night. Mia was lying with her back to Brian, and he was sitting up, staring into the darkness. Neither of them were sleeping. Brian looked down at Mia. "Mia, you awake?" he placed his hand on her side. "Yeah. I'm awake" she replied. She rolled over and placed her head on his stomach. Brian played with her hair, and pushed it out of her face. "I cant sleep!" she told him. "What's botherin' you?" he asked her, still staring into the dark room. "The race" she answered. "I can't help thinkin' about it." He laughed softly. "God, stop freakin' out about it. Just chill!" he laughed louder. Mia pushed off his chest and sat up, pulling the covers up with her and tucking them under her arms. "Brian wake up!" she raised her voice at him. "This guy killed three people that beat him. What if you beat him too?" she shouted at him. "Mia, it's all taken care of!" Brian widened his eyes at her. He knew straight away that he shouldn't have said it. Mia stared at him. "What does that mean?" she questioned him. "Nothing, forget it" he told her as he got out of bed and opened the window. "Brian, what does that mean? Tell me!" she shouted at him. "Dom's got it covered! No sweat." Mia knew what he talking about. "Oh shit," she swore. "You mean he's got those fucking guns with him!" she finished for him. When Dom got into trouble with guys in L.A. before, he'd bought guns for Vince, Leon, Jesse, and himself. Top of the range hand and shot-guns. Letty had insisted that she should get one too, so Dom had bought her one and taught her how to shoot. Mia stayed out of it, and didn't get involved. She hated guns. "We probably wont even need them. It's just in case Tyler gets rough. You know what he's like Mia!" She knew that there was no way to change things, so she lay back in bed, and looked at the ceiling. Taking a deep breath, she looked over at Brian. He was resting on her arms, looking out the window. "Aight. Just come back to bed." He turned and looked at her, then shut the window and crawled back into bed. The two just looked at each other. Finally Mia smiled. "Just be careful. OK!" Brian pulled back, with a confused look spreading across his face. "What, you're not coming?" he asked her. He took it that Mia would be there with the others. She played with the covers. "I'm not sure. I'll probably be there. But if I'm not, just be careful" she warned him. "Where else will you be?" he asked, wondering what better things she had to do. "Nowhere. I might just not feel like it. I might get upset" she smiled at him. "OK. Promise" he agreed. "And make sure Dom doesn't pull those damn guns unless he has to. Alright?" she said with a more serious tone to her voice. "He knows. Don't worry. He knows what he's doing" Brian assured her. "Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of!" Mia finished. 


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37  
  
It was Friday. By the time Mia was changed and downstairs, everyone was already outside. Dom and Brian were fixing the injectors on the engine, Vince was making the final adjustments to the gauges that were fitted the day before, Leon was on a trolley under the car, and Letty could be seen lying in the open trunk fitting three new NOS bottles. "God. How long you guys been at this thing?" she shouted to be heard above the music "Gotta make sure this beast's ready to run" Vince yelled from inside the car. "I see. Well I'm gonna make somethin' to eat. Anybody want some?" she asked. "Yeah. I'll take something," Dom answered. "Me too," from Leon. "Me three," added Vince. Mia laughed as they placed their orders. "Letty, Brian. You guys not want anything?" Letty just shook her head, and Mia looked upset that she didn't answer her. "Nah I'm good!" Brian responded. She'd stopped laughing and moved from one foot to the other. "I'll go and make something then" she said, waving her arms about. This disagreement with Letty had really upset her, and she was fighting to hold back the tears.  
  
Ten minutes later, Mia reappeared at the door and called them in. Although Letty and Brian weren't eating, they came in and cracked open some beer. They all sat in silence, somehow knowing that something was wrong. The whole time, Brian sat watching Mia and Letty. Neither of them looked at each other. They both stared down at their plates. Leon broke the silence. "So. There gonna be a crowd there tomorrow?" He asked to no one in particular. Brian answered his question with a shake of his head. "Nah, he's fixed it so that it's just us." Mia suddenly looked up at Brian, fear evident in her eyes. Brian saw her, then looked away, not wanting another argument about it. "Cool!" Leon acknowledged his reply. "When is it?" "Errm..he said 10pm sharp." Brian replied. Dom pushed his plate away and put his elbows on the table. "We're gonna drive down to the Strip, meet him there, and follow him to wherever it is we're racing!" Dom filled them in. Only Dom and Brian had been there when Tyler called them about the race. They all sat for a few minutes, finishing their food. Vince stood up and carried his plate into the kitchen. When he came back he clapped his hands and looked around everyone. "Anyone up for a swim? Jade's havin' a pool party." "Yeah!" everyone replied at once, jumping up and going to get their gear ready. Dom waited behind, seeing that Mia wasn't going with the others. "You two comin' or what?" he asked, forcing his hands into his pockets. "I'm gonna clear up here, then go shopping" Mia replied, gathering the plates. Dom watched her walk into the kitchen, and turned to Brian. "What about you?" he asked. "Nah. I'd better hang here! See if she'll tell me why her and Letty are rowing" he told Dom. He nodded his head and went upstairs.  
  
When everyone had left the house, Brian helped Mia clear up. "So what the hell's all that about?" he asked, putting plates into the cupboard. "What's what about Brian?" she asked, not lifting her head from the sink. "This thing with Letty!" he explained to her. "I told you. It's just an argument, that's all. We have different views on this damn race!" Brian closed the door to the cupboard. "C'mon Mia, there's more to it than that and you know it!" he pointed out. Mia was becoming angry with his constant questioning. "No there's not Brian!" she half-yelled. Brian didn't like to see her upset, but kept pushing her. "Stop it Mia. Everyone knows somethin's up. Tell me!" he shouted back. Mia brought a plate out of the sink, and threw it on the ground. It smashed on the tiles. Brian stood back and stared at her with shock. "GOD DAMMIT BRIAN!! JUST STOP" she roared at him. She ran crying out of the house. Brian didn't move. Whatever was wrong with her, was seriously cutting her up, and was starting to get to Brian as well. 


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38  
  
Brian stood in the kitchen, still wheeling from the shock of Mia's outburst. After a while, he left the house and went out into the back yard. Mia was sitting on the wall, facing the row of cars. He walked slowly over to her and jumped up onto the wall beside her. Mia lifted her head, looked at him, then turned away again. "So" he blew out in a breath. "So!" Mia huffed. She was playing with a set of keys in her hand. Brian put his arm around her waist and pulled her over onto his lap. She didn't resist. Instead she hung her arm round his neck. "Look," he paused before continuing. "I know something's wrong. And its obvious you don't want to tell me. But it's cutting me up seeing you like this" he told her. Mia pouted her lips and looked away towards the cars again. She knew that she couldn't keep it from him for much longer. Brian reached out with his hand and brought her face round to meet his. "I'll try and sort it out with Letty when she gets back." She sounded with a forced smile. "Promise. I can talk to her if you like!" "No, it's OK. This is between me and her. I'll sort it out. Promise" She quickly jumped in after him. Mia didn't want Brian to speak to Letty, in case she told him about the baby. "Sure" he agreed. Mia fiddled with the buttons on his shirt, then looked up at him. "I'm gonna take a drive in V's car!" she told him. "I need time to think." Mia slid off his knee and landed on the ground. "OK. Need any company?" Mia shook her head. "I'll be OK. Just need to drive for a while!" she explained. Brian watched her walk over to the blue Maxima, get in, and drive away. He knew that it wasn't only Letty that was upsetting her, but it was a start.  
  
Mia changed up to fifth gear and let the car climb to 70 before curbing the power. Buildings, houses, people and cars went by in a blur of colours and blobs. Her thoughts were racing at the same speed of the car. She saw the turning she was looking for and gently touched the breaks. The beach was deserted, apart from two people walking at the far end. She pulled the car over just as it hit the sand, and got out. The heat hit her as she climbed onto the hood and crossed her legs in front of her. This was the place she liked to be to think about things. Before Brian came back, she was down here almost every day. "Dammit" she swore as she thought of the situation she was in. If she told Brian about the baby, he wouldn't have his mind focused on the race. But he knew somethin' was wrong anyway, so he wouldn't be focused either way. Mia sat for two and a half hours, debating with herself about what to do. She thought of the reasons why she should tell Brian, but thought of more reasons why she should wait till after the race. She sat and watched the sun set, her dark, wavy hair blowing in the cool breeze. Finally, she jumped down off the hood and opened the driver's door. Before she got in, she heard a woman laugh and looked over the roof of the car. A man and a woman were standing outside an ice-cream shop. They were cradled over a stroller, and the woman was laughing at her toddler. The kid had smeared ice-cream all over her face, and the man, she presumed him to be the husband and the father, was wiping it off. Mia smiled, as if it were happening to her. At that moment she clutched her stomach and looked down at where her baby lay. When the couple with the kid moved off, she got into the car and started the engine. "Well. Here goes!" she sighed as she pulled away from the beach and headed home. She knew what she had to do.  
  
By the time Mia pulled up outside her house, she could see that Brian and everybody else were already home. Vince appeared at the door, and ran down to her. When she got out the car, she threw the keys over to him. He caught them in the chest. "Thought it'd been nicked when I got back. I gotta tell ya, I panicked like hell!" he laughed at her. "Sorry V. Just needed to think somethin' through. Didn't think you'd mind" she explained to him as she crossed her arms. There was a chill in the air. "Since it's you I don't mind," he smiled at her. "Is it this thing with Let?" he asked. She nodded her head and walked past him towards the house. "I'm gonna go sort it out! You comin' in?" she asked over her shoulder. "Sure!" Vince activated the alarm, then jogged to catch up with her. As Vince closed the door behind them, everybody turned and looked at her. "Hey stranger! Where you been?" Dom asked her. "Just driving!" She looked over and saw Letty sprawled out on the floor playing the PlayStation. "Hey Let, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked over at her. Letty acted like she didn't hear Mia speak to her. Dom looked down at Letty and nudged her with his boot. She slammed down the controller and looked at Dom. He motioned with his head at Mia. She looked at him, then got up and headed over to where Mia stood. "Yeah. Sure. We can talk in ma room!" she answered Mia as she led her upstairs and into her room. "Dammn dawg," Leon sighed. "Think they'll sort that shit out?" He asked the guys. "For their sake, and ours, they'd better!" Dom answered for everyone.  
  
"Mia I don't want to argue with ya' anymore. Aight?" Letty said as lay down on the bed. "I don't want an argument. I want your advice!" she told Letty. Letty gasped and laughed at the same time. "You want my advice. On the baby thing?" she looked at Mia with doubt. "Yeah" Mia agreed. "What for? I don't know nothing about baby shit or shit like that. You should know that more than anyone!" she pointed out. "No, not with the baby. About whether or not I should tell Brian tonight?" Mia corrected her. Letty stopped flicking through her magazine and sat up next to Mia. "You know how I feel about that one girl. Tell him straight." Mia paused then walked over to Letty's wardrobe where there was a photo, similar to the one Mia had, of the old gang at Race Wars. They were all sittin in front of the van they dragged around with them. "Would you tell Dom if it was you?" she asked as she lifted the photo and stared at it. "Don't even jinx me like that. I enjoy my sex far too much to think of what could come out of it!" she laughed. "Letty c'mon! I'm being serious here," she pleaded, putting the photo back down. Letty stopped joking around. "Aight, if it was me, ermmm" she paused before nodding her head, "yeah, I'd tell him." "Why'd you say that?" Mia expected Letty to say she'd get rid of it or something. "Put it this way. Say something happened to him in the race. Not that something will or anything!" she jumped in before Mia could start panicking. "But if somethin did, then don't ya think he should know he's gonna be a father?" Mia sat down beside Letty again. "Yeah, your right!" she concluded with a smile and a giggle. "I should tell him." Letty nodded her head, showing her agreement. Mia stood up and walked towards the door. Before she opened it, Letty stood up. "So, that mean we're good again?" she asked. Mia smiled broadly. "Yeah we're good." She gave Letty a hug. "Thanks for your help." "You gonna tell him then?" She nodded her head. "Yeah, I'll tell him tomorrow. Before the race." Mia opened the door. "You go girl! Oh and can you send Dom up. Just tell him I need a hand to.." "Don't tell me anymore! I don't need to know. I'll tell him." Mia cut her off knowing fine well what she meant. Letty gave her a menacing smile, then closed the door. Mia headed downstairs, smiling to herself. "Dom, Letty needs you. She says she needs a hand with something" she passed on the message to Dom as she stepped off the stairs. "Hey hey hey, that's my call guys!" he said leaping off the couch and running up the stairs, sending Mia spinning. Mia raised her eyebrow at her brother's eagerness to get upstairs. Turning back, she walked slowly over towards the couch where Brian sat staring at her, his mouth curled up in a smile at the corner. Vince and Leon looked briefly at each other, and made their selves scarce. Mia waited till they had left before sitting down next to Brian. "You and Letty sorted now? For good?" he asked her. She leaned into him, stopping a few inches from his face. "Yeah, we're sorted!" she told him through one of her sassy looks. "That's..very.good" he said slowly. He kissed her quickly, then swooped one arm under her legs, and another around her back. Brian lifted her off the couch and carried her upstairs. Once the door to Mia's room was closed behind them, she softly ran her hand down his face. "So your still gonna race him tomorrow?" she sighed gently. Brian put her down, then pushed a strand of hair away from her face. "You know I am. So let's not argue about it. OK?" he whispered in her ear. "I'm not gonna argue. Just promise me you'll be careful!" she asked him. He nodded his head, kissed her softly on the mouth, and gently laid her on the bed. 


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39  
  
Saturday afternoon, and everyone was starting to get nervous. Brian was sitting on the steps playing with the box in his hands. He heard the front door creak open and turned to see Dom standing with two glass bottles in his hand. He paused, looking at Brian, before sitting down next to him. He handed him one of the bottles, and Brian took a swig before placing it on the step. "You sure you wanna do this Brian? It's a big step man!" Dom asked as he watched Brian turn the box over in his hands. Brian laughed at what Dom had said. "'A big step'. Understatement of the year." They both laughed amongst themselves. "But yeah, I'm gonna do this. I wanna do this, really!" he confided in Dom. Dom looked away down the street, watching a group of about six guys hovering over an old Mustang.  
  
"Well man!" he laughed as he slapped Brian on the back. "I'm sure it'll go your way" he met Brian's eyes and nodded his head. "Thanks Dom" Brian beamed back at him. "Sure, " he gave him another smack, "I'm gonna go catch V and Leon. See ya 'round." "Yeah. See ya." Brian watched him leave, then put the box back into his pocket, before getting up and walking over to his car.  
  
Mia's stomach had been doing somersaults from the moment she had woken that day. She was sitting with Letty on the couch. "Have you decided about the race yet?" Letty asked her as she laced up her boots. "Yeah. I'm not going. I'd only make things worse!" she replied. Letty nodded her head without looking up from the boot wedged between her knees. She understood that Mia would probably break down. "So when are you gonna tell him about the baby then?" she asked with a shrug of her shoulders. "Whenever I get a chance" she said with a sigh. "Where is everybody?" she asked as she looked around. Letty raised her head, having finished with that boot. She placed it on the floor, and scanned the house as she picked up the other one. "Vince and Leon went round to Jade's a while ago, and last time I seen Brian and Dom, they were working out front!" Mia got up and looked out the window. She saw Brian sitting in the Eclipse. The door was open and he was just sitting there, staring blankly ahead. Letty didn't even notice Mia walking out of the house. She was too busy getting' her boots ready for that night. As Mia walked towards Brian, she thought of telling him right there, right then. He saw her coming and smiled up at her. He didn't get out the car, but instead waited while she walked around the car and got into the passenger seat. "How long you been out here?" she asked, glancing around the interior of the car. "Not long. Just thinking about tonight!" he told her. She knew that he wasn't in the mood to find out that he was gonna be a dad. "Car looks good!" she pointed out. Brian paused as he looked over the interior, then nodded his head. "Yeah. Let's hope it runs as good as it looks, huh!" Mia frowned. "Now your getting nervous. Five hours before the race!" she asked him with a perplexed look on her face. He didn't move, just stared as he was before. "Brian, you OK?" she asked as she took his hand in hers. He looked down at Mia's hand. "Yeah. I'm not nervous. It's just that, if.." He broke off. "If," Mia encouraged him to finish. He paused again and took a breath. "If I don't win, you know what'll happen. Not just to me, but to everyone," he finally concluded. "Hey," Mia shouted, "don't talk like that. You'll win, and you know it." "Do I?" he challenged. "Yes. You know, and all of us know, that his car will beat any car!" she smiled at him. He stared intently at her, then let out a breath as he nodded. Mia leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. "OK! You comin' in?" "I'll be in in a while. I'm gonna sit here for a while!" Mia nodded. "Sure!" She got out of the car, and went back inside.  
  
Two hours later, Letty, Dom, Brian, Vince and Leon were sitting around the table in the kitchen. Mia had been upstairs for the past half hour, getting ready to tell Brian. Finally, she made her way downstairs and poked her head around the kitchen door. "Hey Brian, can I talk to you?" she called over. "Sure!" he got up from the table and walked over to her. She turned just before he reached her and went back upstairs. Brian followed her up and closed the door behind him. "What's up? You OK?" he asked as he watched her walk over to the window and sit on the sill. She didn't answer. The breeze was blowing her hair, and he couldn't help but think how beautiful she looked against the setting sun. "Mia? What you wanna talk about?" he asked again. She turned and stood up. "I have no idea how to say this, or, how you're going to take it!" she said slowly. "What you talking about?" he still didn't understand. The breeze caught his hair now, and his blonde hair was ruffled. "Well," she said as she looked down and clutched her stomach. Brian followed her gaze and shook his head. "Well what?" "I..I.I'm." Brian laughed as she struggled. "C'mon. Spit it out?" Mia laughed at her previous effort. "OK, here goes," she took a deep breath, "I'm pregnant!" 


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40  
  
Brian laughed, not knowing if he heard her right. "You're.You're what?" he asked, wanting her to say it again. "I'm pregnant" she repeated for him. "Oh my God!" he blew as he moved to give her a hug. He wrapped his arms around her, lifted her off the ground and turned in circles. "Oh my God! You're pregnant!" he said over and over again. "You're gonna be a daddy. You, a daddy, can you imagine it?" Mia teased him. "I still can't believe it. You're pregnant. You're really pregnant!" he said over and over again. "Yeah, really" she confirmed it for the sixth time. Brian sat down on the bed and ran his hands through his hair. "You told anyone else yet?" he asked her. "Nah, only Letty knows." Suddenly he clicked. "Ah, that's what was wrong with you two!" He half-laughed, finally figuring out why Letty and Mia had been at each other's throats. "Yeah", she agreed. The smile dropped from Brian's face and he turned pale. "Holy Shit, the race. I completely forgot," he said as he started to pace up and down the room. "That's it, I cant run, Dom will have to run for me." He said quickly. Mia ran over to him, and grabbed his arms. "Brian, listen to me," she said, trying to get his attention. But Brian was too busy freaking out. "LISTEN TOME BRIAN!" she shouted this time. He was caught off guard by her shouting and stood still. When he had calmed down, she started again. "I told you now so that you would race Brian. Not to stop you" she explained. "Mia," he said raising his hand to his head, "how can I race knowing this? I cant focus now," he replied. "Brian, you gotta race. This is just my way of making sure that you come back, that's all" she said placing a hand on either side of his face. He went to talk back, but she cut him off. "You gotta race. OK?" she told him. "I need you to race!" she kissed him softly. He finally gave into her. "OK" he agreed. "Good.Now that's sorted, why don't we go tell the guys. What d'ya say?" she asked with the biggest smile ever. "Yeah, their in need of cheering up," he smiled back at her. "Cheering up! You think it'll just 'cheer 'em up'?" she squealed as they made their way back downstairs. "You know what I meant!" he teased her in return.  
  
Dom fell with a thud into the chair. He looked around everyone, not knowing what to do or say. He watched as Vince and Leon hugged Mia and shook Brian's hand. There were shouts of 'congratulations' and 'holy shit, me and uncle' from Vince and Leon. Letty didn't say much apart from, 'glad you told him', she just stood and frowned down at Dom who was still trying to take it all in. "Jesus Christ Dom, you just gonna sit there all night?" Letty laughed at him. He stood up and turned to face Mia and Brian. Brian had wrapped himself around her, and Mia was glowing like she'd never glowed before. He made several attempt to speak, but no words came out of his mouth. He took a deep breath and tried again. "You're being serious here? You're really pregnant?" he asked, making sure it wasn't part of some big joke. "Yeah really!" she confirmed it for him. In his head, Dom was raging. He felt like pounding the shit outta Brian for knockin' up his sister up. He was about to lunge for him, when he saw the look in Mia's eyes, and the glow radiating from Brian, and knew that they were truly happy and in love with each other. All of his anger and rising temper faded away, and a smile slowly spread across his face. Mia's eyes started to fill up with tears, and she moved from Brian's hold and threw her arms around her brother. The tears of joy rolled off her cheek and onto his white shirt. "I'm so happy for you" he said as he looked over at Brian, nodding his head. "You've done good Mia. Congratulations lit'l sis!" She pulled back and wiped her tears, all the while looking up at him. "Thanks Dom. I love you," she whispered just loud enough for him to hear. He reached over and pulled Mia round to his side. She placed a hand on his shirt to steady herself. "Congrats' Brian man!" he shook Brian's hand.  
  
The team spent another few hours celebrating the news that there was going to be another member of the team. Dom had driven down to the Off-Licence a few blocks away, and bought a bottle of their best champagne. "You sure you don't want another Brian?" Leon asked as he re-filled his glass. Brian shook his head. "Yeah I'm fine. Don't want to drink too much. I need everything I got for the race!" he told Leon. Leon nodded his head, understanding Brian's point of view. Brian turned to Mia. "So, are you comin' tonight then? He asked with a smile. "No, I told ya" she moaned, "I'd only make the whole thing worse. I'll wait here for you to get back." Brian leaned over and kissed her on the forehead, before standing up. "Where you going? You don't have to go yet do you?" Mia panicked thinking it was time for them to leave for the race. "Hey relax. I'm just goin' to the bathroom!" he calmed her. She laughed at her over reaction and sat back in the chair. When Dom saw Brian heading up the stairs, he got up from sitting behind Letty and went after him. Just before Brian got to the bathroom door, Dom called on him to wait up. "When you gonna ask her?" he said, standing at the top of the stairs. Brian sighed as he looked around. "Eeerrmm.. when I get back tonight!" he told Dom. Dom nodded his head. "Where is it?" Brian felt around in his pocket and brought out the little black box. He held it up for Dom to see. "OK. Good!" he said, before turning and walking slowly downstairs. Brian looked down at the box in his hand for a couple a' minutes, then put it gently back in his pocket.  
  
"OK we ready to go?" Dom thundered as he stood outside the front door. Vince and Leon were ready to go, and they were waiting on Brian and Letty. Letty appeared first. Dom's eyes moved from her feet, up her body, to her head. He wolf whistled as she sauntered over to him. She was wearing her leather trousers with a little red top. The leathers were almost skin tight, with red streaks going up the side each leg. Beside each streak, the trousers had a thin slit which showed a line of skin from her ankles, right up to the top of her hips where they rested. The red top finished just below her breasts, and also had slits. This time they ran from one side, right across the other, revealing her black bra. It took the shape of and upturned 'V' and plainly showed off her perfect abs. Vince and Leon couldn't take their eyes off her, but were forced to when Dom elbowed them down the steps. Dom pulled her into a tight embrace.  
  
"God's Sake Dom. Finish it later!" Vince shouted up to him. He ran up the stairs past the involved couple and shouted up at Brian. He jogged down the stairs a few seconds later, followed by one wet eyed and red-cheeked Mia. "She OK?" Vince asked noticing the state she was in. Brian turned to look at her. "She will be. In a while" he replied. When Mia stood at the door, he took her hand. "See ya in a while. OK!" he stated, not asked. She nodded her head. "Let's go!" Dom ordered. He was keen to get the fucking race over with. Mia watched as the guys and Letty made their way over to their parked cars, got in, and pulled away in their usual race formation. 


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41  
  
The cars pulled up outside the gates to the Strip. Dom was in the passenger seat of Vince's car. As the car stopped he looked around for Tyler. "No sign of him!" he told Vince. "Relax. He'll show. He wants Brian's car!" Vince explained, as he switched off his neon's. They had stopped far enough away from the gate's so as not to be seen by anyone, but Vince didn't want to take any chances. He turned in his seat and looked back at the three cars parked strategically behind him. They followed his lead, and turned off all un-necessary lights. "He said ten sharp!" Dom replied anxiously. "Dom. You need to chill. We're ten minutes early. He'll be here!"  
  
Mia was still standing by the door, watching the road, hoping that they'd change their minds and come back. She'd been there since they driven off ten minutes ago. She looked at the clock on the opposite wall. They'd be racing in ten minutes. "I can't stay here!" she shouted to herself. She ran into the kitchen, picked up her keys and jacket, and ran back through the house and out the front door. She didn't slow down, but ran madly down the street towards Jade's house. She took the steps three at time and banged on the door. "JADE! JADE! OPEN UP IT'S MIA" she screamed. Jade opened the door and was frightened to see Mia looking so scared. "What's wrong? Mia you OK?" she asked looking Mia over for wounds. "I need your car" Mia shouted her reply. "My car, what for?" Jade asked. She had calmed down seeing that Mia was in one piece. Mia knew she had to be careful about what she said. "I gotta go do something. Please Jade. Just give me your keys," she pleaded. Jade reached up to a row of keys hanging to the left hand side of the door, took a set and handed them to Mia. Mia grabbed them out of her hand and turned, jumping down the stairs. "Thanks. I'll bring it right back!" Mia shouted over her shoulder as she jumped into the plain black Toyota sitting in the drive. She put the key into the ignition and whaled the car out of the drive, pulling a 90o reverse turn at the end of it. Jade watched as Mia tore down the road.  
  
Mia pulled up at the gates of the Strip and saw that none of the teams cars were there. "Shit," she swore, "I'm too late!" She drove the car between the gates and straight into a crowd of people. She looked around and spotted Calvin, a guy who flagged races and ran over to him. "Calvin!" she screamed as she grabbed his arm. He turned in shock and saw Mia. "Hey Mia, what ya be." "Have you seen Dom or Brian?" she asked, not letting him finish his sentence. He saw the look in her eyes and knew something was wrong. "What's wrong? Someone afte.."  
  
"I don't have time for this. Have you seen em'?" she cut him off again. "No, they aint been down tonight!" he explained. She let go of his arm and looked around. "Mia, what's wrong? You in trouble or something?" he asked her, rubbing his arm. She didn't reply. "What about cars?" she asked after a quick glance around. "Huh?" he asked as he raised his eyebrows. "The cars! Has any been hangin' around?" she asked again. "Errm, yeah. I saw a group of about 8 or 9 a couple a' minutes ago over by the gates!" he answered as he continued to rub his arm. Mia fixed her eyes on him. "Where'd they go? What way?" she knew it was them. "I didn't see. But they headed off towards Rames." "Rames! Right, OK, I gotta go" she yelled as she ran back to the car and drove off. Calvin watched her leave and looked at his arm. "Damn girl. You have to leave marks?" he said after her, rubbing the red nail marks indented in his arm. 


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42  
  
Mia pushed the car as fast as she could, which wasn't that fast considering it was a 15 year old, factory standard Toyota. She was heading for Rames. Rames was a small racetrack, not far from the Strip. It was the only place they could race within 20 miles. On a Saturday night it was abandoned as the racers went down to the Strip. A quick glance at her watch told her it wouldn't be long till the race between Brian and Tyler started. "Dammit. Hold on Brian. Please hold on!" she said aloud.  
  
The team had only sat for five minutes, when Tyler and his gang appeared. He flashed his lights at Vince, signalling them to follow. Vince had followed. Dom and the team were all standing around the Eclipse. Tyler had parked his Evo on the starting line, his gang were parked on the opposite side of the field. They got out and walked over. "So, you gonna let me see what's under da hood? Or you all talk?" he challenged Brian. "You know what's under there Tyler!" Letty fired back. "You've seen it before." "Afraid to say I haven't" Tyler said with a grin. "See that day, I was busy beating on somebody's ass," he said as he sidled around Dom and stood at the head of the car, "so I didn't get a chance to look!" It was taking all of Dom's strength and will to stop him from strangling that bastard. Brian looked at Dom, and saw that he was about to lose it. "Yeah, you can have a look" Brian said, diffusing the tension. Tyler smiled and slightly dropped his head. He unhooked the clips that held the hood down, and propped the hood up on the support wire. Flaco, and Carlos moved around to stand with him. Cat remained where she was, eyeing Letty narrowly. He let out a long slow whistle. "Not bad. How much you total?" he asked without raising his head.  
  
"$120 grand" Brian kept his reply short. "Hhhhmmm, I could do with one of these for my 'Toretto' collection." He smiled and laughed. "Well, let's get this over with." He put the hood down and went to move, but Dom blocked his path. He crossed his arms over his bulking frame. "The 'Toretto' collection. That's a good one. I like it!" he said menacingly down at Tyler. "Just means taking em' back is even more fun for me." Tyler laughed at him. Vince and Leon were standing at the back of the Eclipse, but stood up tall, as if getting ready to move quickly. "Once I beat his sorry ass, yours is next!" he laughed and side-stepped Dom. Letty had noticed the way Cat stood eyeing her. Letty looked her up and down and snorted. "What's your problem bitch?" she yelled, moving towards her opening her arms. Cat stepped back. The smile vanished as she nodded past Letty over to where her purple Nissan was parked. "Why oh why you still running that heap o' shit?" That was it. Letty went after her. She tried to dart around Dom, but he grabbed her round the waist and turned her away from Cat. "Chill Let." He hollered. "We aint here for this!" he pointed out. Letty stood still in his arms.  
  
"She's starting to piss me off royally!" she yelled over Dom's shoulder so Cat could hear. "And still hangin' round the neighbourhood man-whore!" Cat retorted. This time it was Dom that turned on her. "Yo Tyler. Better curb that bitch of yours before Letty does it for you!" he shouted in his direction. "Oh please Dom. Let me do it!" Letty pleaded licking her top lip. She knew Dom was only joking, but the thought was enough for Tyler to look back. "Cat, get your ass over here" he shouted at the girl. Cat looked at Letty again before turning and walking away. "Yeah you'd better fucking run!" Letty shouted after her. Once they were out of earshot, Letty turned in Dom's arms and threw her arms around her neck. "How was that? Subtle enough?" she asked him as she kissed him roughly. "Absolutely perfect!" he said before returning the kiss. They were interrupted by the sudden roar of Tyler revving his Evo. Dom turned back to Brian who was already sitting in the driver's seat. He walked over taking Letty with him.  
  
"Good Luck Bri" Leon said. "Yeah, go for the bastard" Vince agreed. Letty didn't say anything to him. She just nodded her head, before turning and running to catch up with Leon and V who were making their way toward the finish line. Brian knew this was her way of wishing him luck, and just gave her a nod of his head. "You feelin' strong?" Dom asked with a smile, as he tapped on the door. "Yeah, strong as hell" Brian replied. "Good. Smoke him!" Dom said before going to catch the others. Brian drove the car in a circle before bringing it to a stop, perfectly level with the Evo. Carlos stepped up between the cars and began to lift his arms. But he stopped halfway. Everyone heard a screech of tires and turned to see a battered black Toyota pull up beside Leon's SkyLine. 


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43  
  
Before Brian knew it, he was out of the car and running over to her. Letty and Dom glanced at one another, before walking over. Mia was running towards Brian and when she reached him she threw herself into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "What's up? Mia? Mia you OK?" Brian asked as he held her tightly. "Yeah, yeah, I'm OK!" she said as she dug her head into the crook of his neck. "I just couldn't stay away. I had to come!" she said, not letting him go, the tears streaming down her face. They held each other as Brian watched the others come over. "Everything OK?" Dom asked Brian as he nodded at Mia. "Yeah, everything's fine." Mia replied as she let go of Brian and turned to face Dom, her cheeks stained from the tears. "You nearly missed it!" Dom pointed out, referring to the race. He knew what she had rushed to get here for, but didn't say anything. Letty, Vince and Leon just stood at Dom's side, glad to see everything was OK. Suddenly Dom smiled as he locked eyes on Brian. Brian knew what he was thinking. "So what d'ya think? Perfect timing huh?" he said to Brian. Brian hesitated, putting his hand in his pocket. "Perfect timing for what?" Mia asked as she looked from one to the other, not knowing what was going on. Nobody answered her. Even Letty, Vince and Leon looked confused. "Yeah I think so!" Brian agreed as he grabbed the box tightly in his pocket, and smiled back. "Brian, Dom, what's going on?" Mia was getting frustrated that nobody was answering her. She kept looking from one to the other. Finally Brian looked at her and brought the box out of his pocket. She looked at it for a minute, then cast her eyes back up at Brian. "Bria." He cut her off by raising his finger to his lips. He quickly glanced up at Dom, saw he was still smiling, then got down on one knee. Mia covered her mouth with her hands and blinked quickly. Brian raised his hand up and looked from the box to Mia. Letty quietly squealed, and there were gasps of shock from the two guys beside her. "Mia," he fought with himself to get the words out. "Mia," he paused again as he gulped down a deep breath. "Will you marry me?" he finally managed to spit out. Mia gasped for breath. He opened the box, revealing to her a silver ring with several small diamonds placed all around the band. A bigger diamond sat on top of it. She gave a faint cry as he stood and lifted the ring from the box. She moved her hands away from her mouth and slowly moved her hand towards him. "Yes. Yes I'll marry you!" she started to cry again. Brian gently slid the ring onto her finger. He stood, kissed her softy and then hugged her tightly. When he let go she was still staring at the ring in disbelief, she looked at him and pulled him into another hug, laughing all the time. "Shit Bri!" Vince stated after a couple of seconds. "A father and a husband in the same day. Guess who's under the thumb eh?" He laughed. Mia turned and quickly hugged everyone, the tears having been replaced by squeals of excitement, as she threw her arms around them. When she got to Vince she jokingly punched him in the stomach. "You're so funny V!" she said quietly. "I do try" he said, kissing her on the cheek. As she turned and walked back to Brian, they heard a car horn. Everyone had completely forgotten about the race, through the excitement. They turned and saw Tyler leaning out of his car window. "COME THE FUCK ON!!" he shouted over at them. Brian turned back and looked at Mia. "I gotta go do this. I gotta go now!" he emphasised. With a quick glance around everybody, and a lingering look at Mia, he turned and walked over to his car. Leon stepped forward and placed his arm around her shoulders. She shuffled into him, and let him lead her away. "Lets go wait for yar' guy at the finish line!" he said in almost a whisper. She nodded her head and turned with him. Dom, Letty, and Vince let them pass before turning and walking behind them.  
  
Brian got into the car and snapped the door shut. As he fastened the four- point harness around his waist, Tyler whistled at him through his teeth. "Damn I hate to break up a healthy relationship!" he swore, but smiling at the same time. "You ain't breaking nothing up man'" Brian retorted. "I saw what you did. All of it. But don't worry," he said as he pushed the gear stick into first, "I'll be there to help her through her bereavement!" Brian turned with a pissed off face. "What the hell you talkin' about?" he asked as he went into first. "Leaving her a widow before your even married. Tut-tut-tut." "Hey whatever. Let's race. I don't have time for your bull-shit!" Brian snapped back. They both turned their eyes to Carlos, who raised his arms in the air. Poised in position Brian looked away down the road. That's where Mia was waiting for him. Carlos dropped his arms and Brian pushed his foot to the floor. 


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44  
  
The race was nearly over. As Brian looked up ahead, he saw that Tyler had the lead. "Damn that guys fast!" he said quickly as he changed up the gears. He covered the red button strapped onto his steering wheel, but didn't press it. He remembered Dom's words of caution. 'Leave your shot till the last minute. Anything else and it's a waste of a boost'. Changing into fifth, he felt the car bolt from under him, as if it somewhat knew the stakes. The gap was ever closing. Tyler quickly looked behind him and saw the green blur fast approaching. "Shit!" he shouted. The pressure was getting to him. He'd already used his last NOS boost back at the start when Brian was leading, and he was feeling it fade. "That prick ain't used his NOS yet", he thought out loud. Brian saw a small crowd of people standing away in front of him. The finish line. He pressed the button he was covering and the car was boosted by 25g's. He watched as he overtook Tyler, and out of the corner of his eye saw him bang on the steering wheel. Brian couldn't help but smile. He yelled as he thundered over the green line spray-painted on the ground, and gently pressed on the brakes. He felt the car sway below him in protest, it wanted to run. Finally, the car spun to a stop, a few feet away from the team. He sat in the car catching his breath. He couldn't believe he'd just did it. His thoughts were interrupted by the shouts and screams of the team running over to him. Dom got there first. Brian got out of the car. "You son of a bitch, you beat him!" Dom shouted as he pulled Brian into a hug. "Not bad Brian. Way to go man!" Letty shouted as she jumped into him. Brian caught her and hugged her before letting her down. Leon and Vince did their 'knuckle-touch' with him, they weren't a pair for hugs and shouting shit off. As he looked around he saw Mia half-walking, half-jogging over. He ran over to her and picked her up, swinging her in circles as he grasped her small body. "It's over!" she sighed with relief. "It's finally over!" "Yeah it is!" Brian agreed as he kissed her roughly. They kissed and kissed, before parting and walking over to get Dom. "Lets go get our cars back," he shouted as he sorted his shirt and led the way over to where Tyler stood with Cat. Carlos and Flaco were nowhere to be seen. As Vince glanced around, he saw that Nisa and Niko were still sitting in Niko's Honda Civic Coupe, watching everything that was happening. "Where's ma cars?" Dom asked with a giant grin. Tyler lowered his head and pulled out his phone. He pressed a button and put it to his ear. "Yeah, bring 'em round!" he said before closing the top and putting it back in his pocket. Dom and everyone else turned when they heard the roar of familiar engines. "There they are!" he sighed as he the red Mazda and the orange Supra pulled up in front of them. Carlos and Flaco got out of the cars and threw their keys at Dom. Dom kept the Mazda keys, and threw the Supra keys at Letty. "Check out the Supra Let," he told her as he walked over to the 'red devil' as he called the car. Vince and Leon circled a car each, making sure there was no damage to the exterior. Once satisfied, they went back to where Mia and Brian were standing. "All good on the outside Dom" Vince reported. Letty backed out the Supra. "Yep were fine here too!" she stated. Dom shut the door to the Mazda and walked over to them. "Where were they?" Dom asked, keen to know where the cars had been stored. "Close. That's all am telling' ya!" he eyed Dom. "We need your keys too. You know the deal," Brian said, stretching out his hand at Tyler. Tyler didn't reply or look up, he just kept his eyes transfixed on the ground. "Hand them over!" Brian said louder. Tyler paused for a minute then placed the keys in Brian's hand. "Business over. Get the fuck outta here," Dom half-yelled. Letty stood next to Dom with her arms crossed. Only Flaco made a move to get into his car. Carlos leaned on the Evo's wing. 


	45. THE FINAL CHAPTER!

Chapter 45  
  
(The Final Chapter)  
  
Now only Carlos and Tyler stood by the car. Carlos crossed his arms over his chest. "You got a hearing problem or somethin'?" Dom scowled as he looked down at Tyler. "GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!" he roared again. Tyler opened his mouth to speak, but Nisa cut him off. "Leave it Ty. He won and that's that. Let's just go!" she was leaning out the passenger window of Niko's Honda Civic Coupe. Tyler looked back over his shoulder, nodded his head and turned back to the team. "You can bet your ass this ain't over!" he growled as he thrust his arm towards Dom. "Nah. You're wrong. It's over" Brian stepped in. He looked down at Mia who had stood silent through it all. He had his arm around her shoulders, and he smiled as he pulled her even closer. "Let's go." Mia put her hand on his chest and nodded at him. They turned and headed back to the cars. Tyler watched as the couple left, then looked around the three guys and Letty, whose eyes were still fixed on Cat. "Move it Ty!" Nisa shouted over at him again. Tyler slowly turned and walked back to where the remaining four cars belonging to his crew were parked. "Tyler, we can't just go.." Cat cried as she saw him walk away. Tyler didn't reply. He just clicked his fingers behind his back. Cat gasped in disbelief, before she turned and followed him. "Yeah that's it! Run! Run far away!" Letty shouted through a smile. Cat stopped in her tracks. "That's it," she muttered under her breath. In an instant, she whipped round and jumped on Letty, sending them flying to the ground. Cat managed to put in a few swift punches before Letty flipped her round. Letty was straddled on top of Cat throwing fast and hard punches at Cat's face. Cat spat out a mouthful of blood. Brian and Mia turned at the sound of screaming. They both rushed back. Tyler ran over and tried to pull Letty off Cat, but Dom lunged for him and knocked him away from the girls. No guy was gonna beat up on his Letty. Cat pulled up her knees and pressed them against the inside of Letty's legs. She pushed hard and tossed her over her head. Letty thudded to the ground and stood up. Before she knew it Cat was behind her and had a knife at her throat. Letty froze. Vince, Leon, and Brian tried to run to help, but Dom raised his arms and held them back. "Drop the knife!" he ordered. Cat held the knife at Letty's throat, the tip pushing hard at her neck. Letty let out a short scream of pain. "FUCK YOU! I'VE HAD IT WITH ALL OF YOU BASTARDS AND THIS WHORE!" she screamed back at Dom. Dom's face flushed red with anger and he dropped his arms. Mia was standing behind all of them and she watched her brother as he lifted up his shirt at the back and pulled out the black and silver hand- gun. He held it level at Cat's head. In the same moment that Dom pulled the gun, Tyler pulled his. Cat held Letty hostage in the middle. On one side, Dom had aimed the gun at her head. On her other side, Tyler had his aimed at Dom. She moved uneasily, beginning to panic at the situation she'd created. Vince and Leon reached for theirs, but realised that they had left their guns in the cars. They looked at one another, a feeling of helplessness drowning them. They stood behind Dom with Brian beside them. Mia moved, knowing she was the only one who could help. She walked into the middle, a short distance from Cat and Letty. "Mia, what the fuck you doin'?" Brian shouted at her. Mia looked back at him. "I know what I'm doin' Brian." They looked at one another before Mia turned round again. "Cat, you don't wanna do this!" she said slowly and calmly. Cat looked from Tyler, to Dom, to Mia. "Tell him to drop the gun," she instructed Mia with a nod in Dom's direction, her voice shaking. "Do it Dom" Mia ordered her brother. Dom shook his head. "Not till she lets Letty go," he replied. Mia turned away from Cat and placed her hand on Dom's gun. She gently pushed it down with a look of confusion from Dom. Once the gun was outta her face, Mia walked over to Tyler, who still had his poised at Dom. "You too Tyler. Just drop it. Nobody here needs any more trouble." Tyler dropped his eyes from Dom to Mia, and slowly lowered the gun to his side. Mia turned back to Cat. "OK Cat. The guns are away. Let her go!" Cat looked around everyone again, and locked her eyes on Mia. Mia slowly nodded her head, and Cat took a deep breath. Slowly she moved the knife away from Letty's neck. As soon as she could, Letty broke out of Cat's grasp and ran to Dom, clutching her throat. Dom put his arm around her waist. Mia looked at Tyler, then walked back to Brian. He grabbed her arm, and pulled her in behind him. Cat walked backwards till she bumped into Tyler. He pushed her round him and shoved her towards the cars. She staggered away. Dom didn't take his eyes off Tyler. He watched as he followed Cat. Satisfied that they were leaving Dom turned and led the way back to where his team's cars were parked. "You OK Let?" he asked as he lifted her chin and looked at her neck. There was a heavy-set, thick red line across her neck, with a red dot at the end of the line where the point had been pressed into her neck. She clutched his hand tightly. "Yeah, I'm OK!" she answered with a smile. Dom turned again, whilst walking, to see Tyler. Tyler was standing beside the Civic Coupe. "You should've slit her fucking throat," Tyler said to Cat as he watched Dom go. "Yeah, I know that now" she replied as she kicked the cars tyre. "YO TYLER," Dom shouted back at him. Tyler looked over at Dom, who was standing with his arm slung around Letty. "WHAT?" he asked in reply. "STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY CARS!" he grinned as he turned and walked away with a loud laugh. "That mother-fucker!" Tyler cursed in a growl. Right at that moment, he looked down at the gun in his hand, then at Dom walking away. "HEY TORETTO!" he hollered. Dom turned and looked at him. As soon as Dom had turned, he raised the gun, aimed it at Dom, and fired. The bullet whistled through the air, and everybody froze.  
  
Dom stared down at Letty. He put his hand behind his back, and when he brought it round, blood was running down his hand. His arm fell from her shoulders and he collapsed to the ground. As he looked up, he saw the team kneeling beside him. Their lips were moving, and he felt hands moving all over his body, but he couldn't hear anything. Vince rolled him onto his side, then looked around everyone. He shook his head. As Dom rolled back over, he saw that only Letty remained with him. The rest had stood up. Mia was crying into Brian's shoulder. Vince was running towards Letty's car. He strained his ears and heard her speak. "Stay with me baby. Stay with me. The ambulance is on it's way!" she was talking so fast, he could just make out what she was saying. She held his face in her hands and kissed him on the forehead. She looked down at the road, and saw the pool of blood grow wider and thicker. She looked back into his eyes, and watched as they began to glaze over. He gasped for air. "DOM DON'T GO. STAY WITH ME DOM!"  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
There we have it. The final chapter. If anyone wants to know what happened, you'll find out in the sequel I'm currently writing. Please reply or e-mail me telling me if you think it was a good story or not. Thanks for reading  
people.  
  
Luv ya all  
Kails 


End file.
